‘No difference in ad, news’: Media analyst Vineet Kumar on Modi’s PR in ‘bhakti kaal’
In his latest book Media ka Loktantra, Kumar talks about how the Indian media has changed and the role of PR agencies in Modi’s image-building.
A large section of the Indian media, particularly TV, is going through the ‘bhakti kaal’. So journalists queue up for a picture with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an invitation to the Ram temple ceremony is proof of “reach”, and questioning the government is purportedly a crime.
Media analyst and author Vineet Kumar throws light on this phenomenon in his latest book Media ka Loktantra. But Kumar also goes back in time, before 2014, to see how journalism changed, and the influence of politics, economy, and culture on it.
In this conversation with Newslaundry, he talks about all that entails the book – Indian media, and the role of PR agencies in media and the making of Modi’s public image.
“The image of the former Chief Minister of Gujarat [Modi] was built afresh in the name of development. It started with business and commerce journalists which later got transformed into political news.”
Watch.
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