TV Newsance 186: Why news anchors should leave Team India & Bollywood alone

Team India is out of Asia Cup 2022 after losing to Pakistan. The match last Sunday was turned into a war by TV news channels, and when India lost we had anchor Sudhir Chaudhary offering his expert analysis. A game of cricket with Pakistan is always high stakes, but why is it being turned into an ugly contest between the two nations? We look at how Indian bowler Arshdeep Singh was trolled and his Wikipedia page vandalized to add a “Khalistani” connection, apparently the work of trolls on both sides of the border. We take a look at how TV news channels and their anchors have played a role in degrading public discourse in India – how it has become normal to throw around words such as “Khalistani” or “Jihadi” at members of religious minorities.

We also look at the #BoycottBrahmastra trend and how a statement by actor Ranbir Singh on eating beef was weaponized against him. Both cricketers and Bollywood actors are at the receiving end of right-wing trolling with starring roles played by some news anchors. Why is that?

Watch.