India-Pakistan Conflict and the Crisis of Indian Media: How Propaganda Is Replacing Journalism

India-Pakistan Conflict and the Crisis of Indian Media: How Propaganda Is Replacing Journalism

Natalia Alejandro – In what should have been a time for reflection, compassion, and fact-based reporting, a large portion of India’s mainstream media has instead transformed the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict into a tool of political theatre and state-sponsored nationalism. The term “Godi Media”—used widely by Indian citizens to describe pro-government news outlets that are perceived as sitting in the “lap” (godi) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi—has come to define a dangerous new era where journalism has abandoned its ethics in favor of propaganda.

The current crisis has exposed the deep fractures within Indian media. Many newsrooms today operate less like information platforms and more like echo chambers for government policy. Reports have surfaced indicating that panelists are carefully curated and given talking points aligned with state interests. Dissent is silenced, and narratives are tightly controlled. Critical coverage is rare; blind support for the ruling government is the norm.

The recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam only intensified this phenomenon. Indian channels rushed to point fingers at Pakistan, some without any investigation, while drawing political parallels with the Pulwama attack. Critics and opposition voices believe such incidents are swiftly weaponized to stir public sentiment and consolidate votes before elections.

But amidst the noise, one truth stands tall—the majority of citizens in both India and Pakistan do not want war. They want peace.

Ordinary people on both sides have family, cultural, and historical ties. In places like the UAE, the UK, Canada, and Southeast Asia, Indians and Pakistanis often collaborate in business, live as neighbors, and share mutual respect. However, when they return home, they are bombarded by media-fueled hatred and jingoism. The poison of politics seeps back into their daily lives, eroding the goodwill they experience abroad.

Despite the media’s attempts, there is a visible shift. A large portion of the public—particularly the youth and independent thinkers—have grown immune to war hysteria and state-run disinformation. People are increasingly relying on global platforms and independent digital media to understand the actual ground realities, not what’s broadcast in primetime TV debates.

That said, this awakening has been met with resistance. Several Pakistani YouTube channels and bloggers were blocked in India to prevent alternative perspectives from reaching Indian citizens. Meanwhile, independent Indian media portals that try to challenge the state narrative are harassed, temporarily banned, or economically strangled. In this censorship climate, truth becomes collateral damage.

Even when the President of the United States announced a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, Indian media continued to push conflicting claims. Drones flying post-ceasefire were painted as either violations or retaliations, depending on which side of the screen one was watching. No one asked: where are the grieving families, the injured civilians, the displaced villagers?

Ironically, while missiles may fly at the border, the emotional warfare being waged in living rooms and mobile screens is far more destructive. War is celebrated like a festival by those sitting far from the frontlines. In contrast, the cries for peace from those actually affected are often buried under nationalism and noise.

Furthermore, among India’s intellectual circles, a deeper concern is brewing. There is growing sentiment that India has been politically and economically hijacked by a small group of Gujarati elites. As critics point out, two Gujarati politicians dominate national political discourse, while two Gujarati businessmen have amassed extraordinary economic influence. Many believe this monopolization of power is weakening India’s democratic institutions and creating an unsustainable divide between the ruling class and the rest of the population.

This sense of disillusionment is not about region or religion—it’s about power and its abuse. Intellectuals, students, artists, and even former bureaucrats are questioning the direction India is heading in. They see through the tactics: how war rhetoric deflects from domestic failures, how media manipulation crushes accountability, and how propaganda attempts to drown reason.

The tragedy is that the vast majority of Indians and Pakistanis want peace, dignity, and prosperity—not propaganda and war. But as long as media serves the interests of a few powerful individuals and not the truth, the suffering will continue.

It’s time for the people of both nations to reclaim their voices, demand real journalism, and remind their leaders: war may win elections, but peace builds nations.