Arnab Goswami – Journalist Par Excellence or Public Nuisance?
Hate him or support him, you cannot possibly ignore Arnab Goswami. One of the loudest voices in journalism today (literally and metaphorically). The man can be seen taking stance on virtually any topic worth discussing in the country and beyond.
But who is Arnab Goswami?
Arnab Goswami: Personal Life and Career Beginnings
Born to an Assamese Army family, Arnab Goswami comes from a very politically active family, with members in BJP and CPI.
He has obtained degrees from Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Indeed, he has been noted for his academic merits. He was a Felix Scholar at Oxford. Which provides gifted and underprivileged students from countries like India to study at the prestigious university. At Cambridge, he was a Visiting Fellow in the university’s International Studies department.
He began his career as a journalist with The Telegraph, later joining NDTV for ten years between 1996 to 2006. He subsequently began a stint in the newly launched Times Now channel as its editor-in-chief. Still strongly associated with the channel and his work there. Despite him leaving in 2016 due to differences with the platform.
Currently, he helms the Republic TV, which inception has been under scrutiny. From the start due to the connections, it has with the ruling BJP party. The channel and Goswami however remain very influential.
In his personal life, Arnab Goswami is married to Samyabrata Ray Goswami, and they have a son together. Samyabrata is one of the major investors in Republic TV. Thus has a major influence in the way the channel operates. Arnab Goswami’s wide Samyabrata Ray also came into the public spotlight when Subramanian Swamy called out the channel’s use of the word ‘Republic’, as she was actively involved in replying to Swamy.
Arnab Goswami: Raking in Money?
Many have speculated as to how lucrative Arnab Goswami’s career has been. This conversation became even more intense when Arnab and his wife became two of the prime investors in the Republic TV. According to sources, Arnab contributed a whopping 20 lakhs to the platform. While his wife Samyabrata Ray was the second-highest contributor with an Rs. 6,75,000 worth of investment. It is no wonder thus that Arnab Goswami has such complete control over Republic TV – according to sources, he owns almost 90% of the shares.
In 2019, Republic TV was valued at 1200 crores. It may be a mind-boggling sum, but given that the channel has been the most viewed English news channel since its inception, the sum is not that surprising. Arnab’s wealth is estimated to be Rs. 360 crores, largely due to the massive success of Republic TV. There is also the fact that he was a popular and successful anchor before the platform started too. So his earnings have always been high. For some, however, no matter the amount of publicity and airtime he has had, his income has been a source of controversy and suspicion. Something that came up again in April 2020 when Congress leader Nitin Raut filed an FIR against Goswami after he made derogatory remarks against Sonia Gandhi.
Arnab Goswami: Man of the Hour or TRP Troll?
Many have questioned Arnab’s journalistic integrity. They have suggested that instead of presenting facts, Arnab Goswami simply takes the side of the argument that he prefers and puts it on blast. His ways of interviewing and presenting have also come under the scanner.
On the other hand, many of his proponent’s state that he is not just in for the TRP, but actively takes up issues that other journalists or platforms are too afraid of taking on. For them, he is a fighter for the common man.
No matter what side you may be on, it cannot be denied that Arnab Goswami and Republic TV will continue to dominate Indian news reporting for a long time to come.