The emergence of a multi-polar world in the twenty-first century has prompted a more equitable distribution of power; often with respect to issues that concern the whole world and not just a part of it.
This means that Western-media, used to being placed on a high pedestal of influence simply because it belonged to an influential part of the world, now finds itself frantically in search of relevance and consideration.
Naturally, their response to this shift towards a more merit-based idea of global reportage has been unkind; and at the forefront is TIME magazine.
TIME, considered to be a cornerstone of journalism and global reporting, is dwindling fast - in terms of both circulation as well as quality.
A reason may be that even when it was a common practice for magazines to have an opinion of their own, a distance between facts and opinions was always apparent when it came to India.
In the case of TIME, however, the gap became wider with every passing year.
Moreover, once PM Modi’s government took over, opinions in the magazine started turning towards an all-out campaign that is not too far away from malice.
A perusal of the magazine’s recent issues removes all doubt regarding its intentions. Every possible angle has been covered in the publication’s attempt to paint a picture of India that is grim, chaotic and frightening.
Another common thread that emerges from this analysis is that of expertly camouflaging facts from the ground.
Here are some examples of how TIME magazine is attempting to pass off what can only be called fear-mongering, as journalism:
COVID-19 in India – With a Generous Helping of Malevolence Not only did the magazine take up the issue of a once-in-a-century pandemic with absolutely no sensitivity towards the victims, it did so simply to showcase the efforts of the Indian government in an unfavourable light.
A headline from an article in March 2020 all but screams a hatred of one of the world’s most popular leaders, it says “Modi's Hasty Coronavirus Lockdown of India Leaves Many Fearful for What Comes Next”.
Considering that by this time nations like Italy, France, Singapore, the United Kingdom etc. had already announced lockdowns, PM Modi’s announcement – which after a day of a voluntary Janata Curfew (People’s curfew) – was neither hasty nor unplanned.
Moreover, the article delves deep into how the lockdown would impact the poor but never once mentions the PM – Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, the scheme launched on 26 March 2020 (48 hours after the lockdown), to provide free food grains to 80 crore Indians.
Just for perspective, this detail which the article easily overlooked has until March 2022 (two years from the lockdown), provided over 750 lakh MT of food grains worth Rs 2.6 lakh crore; at around $33 billion as per current rates, almost equal to the GDP of Nepal.
When this approach failed to garner the attention it expected, TIME felt it necessary to add a communal angle to its reportage.
But this wasn’t a one-off occurrence. Throughout the year and well into 2021, TIME continued its trend of maligning India.
The headlines, if considered by the insensitivity and insecurity they wanted to spread, seem to have peaked during the second wave of the pandemic in April 2021 – when India was already grieving the loss of near and dear ones lost to the deadly virus.
Read More at https://swarajyamag.com/world/spreading-misinformation-and-fear-a-look-at-this-american-magazines-sop-to-malign-india