TV Newsance 304: Anchors add spin to bland diplomacy and the Kanwar Yatra outrage

This week on TV Newsance, we look at how godi media manufactured two kinds of patriotism – one global, one hyper-local – both equally absurd.

At the recent QUAD summit in Washington, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a measured, routine statement about India’s right to defend itself from terrorism. But our desi anchors went into full Bollywood mode:

“Jaishankar ka gussa phoota!”

“Ghar mein ghus ke maarenge!”

Only problem? He didn’t say any of that.

We decode TV media’s obsession with over-interpreting bland diplomacy as muscular chest-thumping.

Meanwhile, back home, the Kanwar Yatra became yet another excuse to target Indian Muslims. Channel after channel ran its top story on a dhaba named Pandit Ji, allegedly run by a Muslim man. That’s right – the real national emergency is now a dhaba name mismatch.

From the international stage to the Kanwar route, Indian TV media continues to serve you nationalism, with a side of hate.

What about the actual national crisis? Crimes against women across India? Rape of a 70-year-old in Pahalgam and a French tourist in Udaipur? Yeah, that didn’t make it to primetime.

Watch the full episode as we sift through the headlines, the spin, and the selective outrage.