Sign that audience understands mainstream media manoeuvres, says the Magsaysay awardee as YouTube channel grows popular.

Talking about the increased subscriptions on his newly-revived YouTube page, noted NDTV journalist Ravish Kumar has said it is not just about subscriptions but also about responding to the “media backed by thousands of advertisement types” and a sign that the audience has now “understood the maneouvres of the mainstream media”.

The Magsaysay awardee has promised to frequently post videos on YouTube, days after news of an imminent takeover of NDTV by the Adani Group triggered speculation about the fate of his show on the channel. He had called the rumours about his resignation as fake as prime minister Narendra Modi agreeing to give him an interview.

In his latest video, Kumar hit out at the BJP government over the recently withdrawn directive requiring journalists to produce a “character certificate” to be able to cover Modi’s visit to Himachal Pradesh. He wondered what examples of journalistic work “godi media” anchors could cite to claim such a certificate and said many journalists are relieved that the order has been withdrawn.

The journalist said he was thankful to viewers for his YouTube channel gathering over two lakh subscribers within hours. There are seven videos on his YouTube channel, of which four were posted months ago. In a previous video this week, he promised to upload content more frequently to avoid his name being used to float duplicate accounts since several fake accounts have already been made under his name on social media. He also said that people spread fake news and content through such profiles.

“The country is already marching behind a fake man, so I decided to bust these fake accounts by creating a new one. It’s easy to get used to fake things, but it is never easy to get rid of them,” he said. Pointing to a FICCI report, he said the economy suffers a loss of around Rs 1.25 lakh crore and 16 lakh livelihoods are affected through fake items. The journalist said around 80 percent of consumers buy fakes believing them to be authentic.

Calling for an end to fake profiles, he said, “People who have my contact or are in any way connected to me used to bring these fake channels to my notice to confirm if it was my official account. I was not able to respond to the queries. But yes, I created a YouTube channel in June with an aim to keep it active, but I was not able to due to my busy Prime Time schedule.”

In a jibe aimed at Modi, he said those who swore by the Ganga received a lot of support but the river was never cleaned. The journalist said it was time to break the cycle and stop following fake leaders.

A recent documentary on Ravish Kumar, titled While We Watched, won an award at the Toronto International Film Festival last month. The journalist continues to host his popular show, Prime Time with Ravish Kumar, on NDTV India.