As news channels bend backwards to give flight to Narendra Modi‘s prime ministerial ambitions, the Indian Express‘ television critic, Pratik Kanjilal, writes on the Mukesh Ambani-controlled Network 18‘s unquestioning schmoozefest with the Gujarat chief minister:
“Modi also addressed a business forum in Kolkata, but the big one was the multimedia love-feast organised by Network 18.
“TV, blow by blow Web updates, social media, the works, with Modi hosted by Sanjay Pugalia, one of the first television journalists, and the discussion led by media entrepreneur Raghav Bahl.
“With no trace of journalistic scepticism, this was a promo. The guest was so much at ease that he asked after Sagarika Ghose and Rajdeep Sardesai. It’s sobering to recall that Sardesai had done excellent street-to-street reporting on the Gujarat violence of 2002.”
Read the full column: Twitter alert
Also read: ‘For cash-stuck TV, Modi fetches TRPs’
IJR 
Network 18 had one agenda before Ambani and maybe another one now, with Ambani. Both, if true, sad and pathetic.
Also, wondering, if Kanjilal had anything to say about NDTV’s coverage of Rahul Gandhi’s CII speech – their anchors were trying so hard to get some positive views about the speech from their audience and panellists, putting words in their mouths, twisting their statements, etc – so hilarious it was. And, also, did he have anything to say in the past about Barkha DUtt’s Priyanka Gandhi interview just before the 2009 elections – if that was not the height of schmooze …………..
Its a joke to say that Network 18 has changed its policy towards Modi. Both Rajdeep and Sagarika (especially the latter) are rabidlly ani-Modi and try their best to pull down Modi on every occasion. Ashutosh the editor of their Hindi channel was drooling and salivating on Twitter about Rahul’s speech saying what a visionary speech it was. But when it came to Modi, there was no reaction from him. Same with Sagarika who tweeted lies that Modi didn’t take questions, when the fact is her boss Behl dominated the Q&A session with his questions.
Both CNN-IBN and NDTV are a disgrace to journalism and are rightly referred to as dalalmedia on twitter. Since Modi is becoming popular, they don’t want to take risks and hence try their best to try and appear to be neutral. But a leopard’s spots cannot chance, neither can dalalmedia’s pro-Congress bias.
Agree with both the previous posts.What atrocity on ‘ objectivity’ by the joker couple and that terrible ogress from Nd tv.