During a live AMA (ask me anything) with viewers on Republic TV last night, the channel's editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami, addressed a question that has been weighing on their minds: Why has he recently taken positions opposing the government on various issues?
Responding to this question from a viewer, Goswami said: I don't think that I've been against the current government at all for the last one month. I am for the people. I am 1000% sure that the government will listen to the people.”
He remarked that raising questions about the Delhi High Court’s verdict on the Kuldeep Sengar case, the Supreme Court’s judgement on the definition of the Aravalli Hills based on the recommendations of a committee led by the Centre, or the recent IndiGo flight cancellation fiasco isn’t anti-government, but “pro-people”. Similarly, he said asking questions of the Opposition shouldn’t be seen as “pro or anti-Opposition”.
To another viewer’s question, particularly his position on the Aravalli case, he explained, “It is completely wrong to look upon this as pro-government or anti-government. The fact of the matter is that unless you campaign, this country won't change. If you don't shout, you will not be heard. You need to have a purpose to your journalism. And I have strongly felt, of late, and over a long period of time, that the scrutiny of the people is the most important thing. We want people to be empowered… There is no pro or anti-government… There is only right and wrong.”
“I don't want credit (presumably for the Supreme Court’s recent stay order on the Aravalli case). I don't want Republic TV to be given credit by the Supreme Court of India, the government or anyone that we are right or wrong. But I believe that somewhere, the court, the government, and everyone understand the difference between right and wrong as well. It’s just that someone has got to put it out there for the people, and we chose to do so,” he added.
In response to a similar question from another viewer, Goswami played up his own alleged underdog story, saying, “We are ordinary people; we got the opportunity to become editors. In the media world I came from during 2004, 2005, and 2006, it was impossible for someone from a middle-class family without connections to become an editor, or even a senior reporter or chief of bureau. I got the opportunity to pursue entrepreneurship in Mumbai, and I want to say one thing: people are saying these days that Arnab is pro or anti this or that, anti-government, pro or anti-BJP – all this is nonsense, because I believe we don't do journalism to please anyone.”
Furthermore, he argued, “Journalism is not about making institutions happy; it's about fighting for the people. There's so much misunderstanding about this, but it doesn't matter because people like you have seen how we have raised questions, from the CWG to the Nirbhaya campaign, and from Brij Bhushan to the Palghar issue.”
'Not for ad revenue'
While discussing a viewer’s question on the lack of a conclusion to the Air India crash, among other cases, Goswami challenged the narrative that his recent editorial pivot was driven by financial considerations.
While expressing his cynicism about the outcome of the Air India crash case, he remarked that he questioned the Tatas. He said some in the media go soft on such corporations because of "their own compulsions”.
Elaborating further, he said, “I'm not passing insinuations on other people in the media, but a standard tactic is that because you want advertising, and I'm being very candid here, you don't want to take on people. I'm not questioning anyone. I'm not saying that is the reason why some people are carrying some ads. But I'm just being very blunt about it. I run an independent news network. I don't care less about these factors.
He also proclaimed, “We don't do journalism for business, so that's the difference,” just an advertisement for Vimal Elaichi played below.
Further challenging such narratives, he said, “The problem, Niranjan (his co-host on the AMA), is that nowadays the world has become a seamless congregation of podcasters. Everybody wants to pass an opinion without doing any journalism, without doing any reporting, without getting their facts out there, without getting their hands dirty.”
He added, "At the end of 2025, the biggest lesson is that none of these people are journalists. Influencers are not journalists. Sorry, you know what shame influencers have brought to their so-called influencer brigade this year. Journalism is supreme," while also noting that Republic TV is about "hardcore investigative reporting".
To the trolls questioning his coverage of the Aravallis, he said, “Please remember I am taking on the mining mafia of this country. Before any troll dares to question my intent, let them show the same courage that Republic Network has shown to directly question the mining mafia of this country, and then I'll talk to them. I don't owe any of them an answer.”
Proclamations don’t add up
In The News Minute's recent Powertrip newsletter, Shabbir Ahmed and Pooja Prasanna highlighted how this was “less a political awakening and more a calculated business pivot”.
“The trigger (for the recent pivot), insiders say, was the IndiGo crisis. As we reported earlier, the decision to go all out on the issue was driven by a simple assessment: public anger was high, and no one on television was owning the story. Republic did, slammed the TDP, and the gamble paid off. TRP numbers jumped sharply that week, offering proof that confrontational journalism, even when directed at the ruling establishment, still sells,” they reported.
What followed was a familiar playbook on a range of issues. Meanwhile, on the Aravallis coverage, insiders told Ahmed and Prasanna that it was not just about ratings, but carried a distinct “corporate subtext”.
“Not long ago, Arnab had been one of the Adani Group’s fiercest public defenders, especially during the fallout from the Hindenburg report. Today, that equation has changed. With Adani’s acquisition of NDTV, the group has emerged as a direct competitor. NDTV, now flush with resources, has been aggressively poaching talent from rival newsrooms, including Republic’s and offering advertising packages that undercut the market,” they reported.
One senior executive from the Republic network had even told them how the “Adani-NDTV machine” was hurting them commercially, and that when “Arnab appears to be attacking the government over the Aravallis, he’s actually going after Adani.”
On the subject of the Modi government, the newsletter described an “unspoken truce” with the network, while adding that although "occasional criticism” is permissible, “on the core ideological terrain, the red lines remain firmly in place”. This point is particularly germane to what Arnab said last night, “We are very much for the rights of people from the majority community,” while referencing his channel’s “right to pray” campaign.
Moreover, around the same time these Aravalli and IndiGo clips went viral, Goswami interviewed RSS ideologue Gurumurthy over the Thiruparankundram deepam row and slammed the opposition for asking for the impeachment of Justice GR Swaminathan.
The notion that Goswami is a neutral journalist is laughable. Last March, weeks before the general election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited to the Republic Summit 2024 as keynote speaker. The event, as Newslaundry reported, looked like an election rally “with Goswami playing an enthusiastic BJP karyakarta”. Amid chants of “Modi, Modi”, Goswami declared that Modi will begin his “historic third term” in a few weeks.
“Finally, Modiji, the nation looks forward to your leadership,” Goswami repeated. “For many years and many, many decades to come…Modiji, in seven to eight weeks, you will win a historic mandate and begin your historic third term. And we look forward to taking the vision forward.”
There are countless articles and clips online highlighting Goswami’s proximity to the ruling establishment and his partisan position on core ideological issues. Therefore, the notion that he has gone rogue isn’t entirely true, and his recent pivot must be examined with greater scepticism.
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