‘Anti-farmer media’: Twitterati pans media coverage of farmer protests

As the farmer protests along Delhi’s borders have gathered momentum over the past week, resentment has bubbled against the media. As Newslaundry reported this week, the farmers are angry with sections of the mainstream media, especially the TV news channels Republic TV, Zee News and Aaj Tak, for seeking to discredit the protests. They have been shouting slogans against “Godi Media”, even chasing away reporters.

As is inevitable these days, the anger against “Godi Media” has spilled over onto social media. On Thursday, the hashtag #kisanvirodhimedia, or anti-farmer media, trended on Twitter. It was used alongside hashtags #SpeakUpForFarmers, #TakeBackFarmLaws, and #Tractor2Twitter to condemn the coverage of the protests by the mainstream media.

Those who used the hashtag included prominent personalities such as Ramkishan Ojha, general secretary of the Maharashtra Congress.

The singer-songwriter Diljit Dosanjh did not use the hashtag, but he criticised “national media” for referring to the farmers as “terrorists”.

Newslaundry is reporting extensively on the protests and the anger among the farmers against sections of the media. Here’s a sampler of our coverage:

‘I am fighting betrayal’: Meet the farmers marching on Delhi

‘Media has lost our trust’: Why protesting farmers are angry with ‘Godi media’

Watch: Farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal on ‘unconstitutional’ farm laws, and an appeal to the media

Farmer protests have some lessons for the national media

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