Deepika Padukone or Farmers’ Protests: What Will Media Cover?
Did you know that farmers across the country are going on a protest on 25 September.
Editor: Veeru Mohan
The Indian mainstream media is looking forward to 25 September. Why?
Turns out, Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone has been summoned by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the ongoing drug probe and obviously it's a pretty big deal.
We aren't the only ones to point this out. Social media has been buzzing with questions and concerns about what the media coverage will be like on Friday. The farm bills that were recently passed in the Rajya Sabha will drastically affect the livelihoods of farmers across the country. This wouldn't be a big deal if the agriculture sector did not employ almost half of India's population.
Now the question is... will the mainstream media focus on a Bollywood actor whose alleged chat from 2017 got leaked or on the farmers protesting against bills that could destroy their livelihood? The nation wants to know.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)