The Arnab Goswami has spoken. Arnab has replied to the reactions, the trolling and the criticism his interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi received.
In a post written for BW Businessworld, he started by talking about how well the interview did, not just in India but internationally too.
About over a million video views and 10.2 million impressions on Facebook , trending globally for 8 hours on Twitter and making global headlines by being quoted across the world, it was clear this was the biggest interview in terms of reach and impact for at least the last 5 years.Arnab Goswami
While many said that the journalist did not touch upon certain topics, Arnab had something else to say.
...from NSG to China, Pakistan to Rajan, Swamy to inflation, 2019 to Uttar Pradesh and the politics of polarisation, rising unemployment to the parliament logjam, the possible passage of GST to the numbers in the Rajya Sabha, black money and the Rs 15 lakh in every bank account promise, the interview had covered it all.
Without naming her, Arnab addressed what we presume is the much talked about tweet put out by journalist Sagarika Ghosh which was later deleted by her.
Calling her question intellectually disjointed, he replied saying:
Across the world, the first exclusive interviews are given to anchors and channels who command viewership. Not to those who nobody watches. Period.
Then there were many including The Quint who pointed to the fact that Arnab was not his usual self. They question why he was so calm and composed while interviewing the Prime Minister, hardly questioning his viewpoint.
Three answers should silence this industry that obsesses about me. First, I used the same tone with Rahul Gandhi. If this industry is disappointed with how he let them down, its not my problem. Second, Frankly Speaking is an interview and The Newshour is a debate, both are therefore different styles and formats. And finally, “Mr Prime Minister” is the most appropriate reference point when you are speaking to the Prime Minister.
Insisting he doesn’t owe anyone an explanation, Arnab said that he wants the Arnab-obsessed industry to “calm down and get composure”. Addressing the “trolls” and the negative criticism he received after the interview, Arnab said:
Eventually, all of us will be judged by what we do. Not by how elegantly we troll on social media and its satellites.
Read his original post here.
(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.)