Indian media’s credibility crisis spills over, harming regional influence

ISLAMABAD: Indian television news is facing a “large-scale credibility crisis” driven by sensationalism and hyper-nationalist rhetoric, which analysts and journalists say is now damaging India’s image across South Asia.

In the latest episode of Al Jazeera’s The Listening Post released on Sunday, journalist Smita Sharma said the credibility decline stems from Indian television news increasingly drifting away from objectivity.

“Whether it is sensationalizing a bunch of issues or trying to sound patriotic and hyper-nationalist, the media ends up losing objectivity in its coverage,” she said, adding that Indian television news has increasingly become a “liability” to India’s regional interests.

She noted that the crisis “has spilled over as a larger image problem in the neighborhood, where Indian channels are followed closely.”

Roman Gautam, editor of Himal Southasian, said this is especially visible in Nepal.

“If there is one media that should know Nepal better, it is India, because of the depth of the relationship, government to government, people to people,” he said.

“Yet Indian media tends to pay close attention to Nepal only at moments of great crisis, without the nuance or understanding required. When events move fast, it becomes very difficult to report well or make sense of what is happening.”

During recent protests in Nepal, Indian journalists were sometimes “heckled, chased, even assaulted,” as many protesters viewed them as promoting a political agenda on behalf of “a larger, more powerful neighbor.”

Analysts said Indian channels attempted to frame protests as evidence that Nepalese citizens wanted “a leader like Modi” or a return to a Hindu state, narratives described as “completely off the mark” compared to realities on the ground.

A similar reaction emerged in Bangladesh during the political turmoil that led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.

Filmmaker Deepak Kumar Goswami said, “As soon as Hasina’s regime fell, Indian media started saying Bangladesh had collapsed, that it no longer exists, that its economic foundations have disappeared.”

He said Indian channels portrayed the protests as driven mainly by “extremists, Islamists or reactionary groups,” ignoring the role of ordinary citizens. This approach, observers said, appeared patronizing and reinforced perceptions of a “political big brother attitude.”

Analysts argue that the problem originates at home, where media ownership has tightened and critical journalists have been sidelined. Critics say many Indian channels have embraced “more noise and less information,” relying on aggressive panel debates and nationalist theatrics.

One analyst noted that some channels even make false claims during conflict coverage, such as announcing the capture of Pakistani cities. “When the media behaves like that, you turn yourself into a circus,” they said.

The overall effect, analysts warn, is strategic harm. If Indian media is functioning as “a propaganda arm or strategic extension of government policy,” then it is “actually hindering Indian interests in the region.”

Instead of projecting influence and goodwill, the media now risks “alienating the very audiences it seeks to influence.”