India’s YouTubers take on Narendra Modi
In one corner of India’s internet, dissent survives. For now
“IF IT WEREN’T for YouTube, I would be out of this profession,” confesses Ravish Kumar, a veteran broadcaster and winner of the prestigious Magsaysay award, regarded as Asia’s version of the Nobel prize. Long an anchor at NDTV, one of the few sober news channels in India, Mr Kumar left in late 2022 when it was acquired by Gautam Adani, an Indian billionaire known for his close ties to the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi. These days Mr Kumar is an independent journalist with a channel on YouTube, with over 10m subscribers and 20m views a week. The video-sharing site has become a refuge for independent voices, from sidelined journalists to political satirists.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “An unruly corner”
Asia May 25th 2024
From the May 25th 2024 edition
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