Indian media stood divided when it came to covering protests against Modi in USA

The News Minute | September 30, 2014 | 4.11 pm ISTAt the same time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a large crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday, a number of people protested against him.But you wouldn’t know that if you had only been relying on the Indian media’s coverage of Modi’s visit to the United States. The Indian media largely were ignorant of or ignored the protests. Among the few media houses that reported on the event were Firstpost, The Hindu, Business Line, Daily Bhaskar (barely a mention) and Newslaundry, all of which carried extensive reports.International media however, including Washington Post, The New York Times, Al Jazeera, Telegraph, The Guardian among others published reports about protests by various groups that came together under the Alliance for Justice and Accountability which includes Sikhs for Justice, and South Asia Solidarity Collective among other groups.The Hindu reported that the AJA planned to hold a rally, protest, and press conference outside Madison Square Garden on September 28. It also reported that SFJ would organise a citizen’s court outside the White House, indicting Modi and telecast it live. The Hindu reported: “Additional pressure from dissenting groups has come in the form of a New York-based human rights group, the American Justice Centre, offering a bounty of $10,000 to anyone who could serve Mr. Modi with the summons issued by a federal district court and capture the service on video, sparking concerns that there could be a security incident during Mr. Modi’s historic five-day visit to the U.S.”Firstpost reported that the group would picket the venue ahead of Modi’s visit and wave black flags as well. It quoted Gurpatwant Pannun, a human rights lawyer based in New York, and a member of the group as saying: “It is a cause for great alarm that a man with his track record has become a head of state. We have to take a stand for what is right.”According to a report by US-based website Democracy Now, the South Asia Solidarity Collective staged protests, holding up banners. The report quoted the group’s member Prachi Patankar: "As South Asians concerned for advancing basic standards of democracy and human rights in India and universally, we believe that it is our moral responsibility to refuse to go along with the Modi euphoria and continue to voice our concerns and criticisms of bigotry and violence. Not doing so not only justifies this bigotry, but normalizes the acceptance of hateful ideologies and future repressive policies."In the Criticles, Critique section, Newslaundry posted an extensive piece on the protests, and the coverage of the mainstream media of Modi’s visit. Addressing the question of fairness and objectivity in reporting, Manisha Pande wrote: “Old-school editors would tell you that the easiest way to ensure objectivity is to always get the other side of the story. During Modi’s visit, the other side of the story were the anti-Modi protests happening in the same city. In ignoring the protest and focusing expressly on Modi supporters, media gave up all pretence of fairness and turned into cheerleaders instead of discerning reporters.” She also quoted several people from protesting organizations, reporting on their views and why they were protesting. (Image Courtesy: South Asia Solidarity Collective's Facebook page)