Top 7 Newspapers Known to Favor Specific Political Parties in India

The media in India is highly politicized. This fact became apparent after the Radia tapes controversy came into the media limelight in November 2010. Nira Radia, a political and business lobbyist, was found to be part of a wide nexus among politicians, businessmen and journalists through which news was manipulated. Names of senior and celebrated journalists Barkha Dutt, Prabhu Chawla and Vir Sanghvi did crop up in this controversy but with media ethics of maintaining high journalistic standards lying in shreds, all of them continue to hold high positions even as the public trust in a partisan media erodes fast.

Paid and Biased News - India

It is evident that the business of news has completely taken over the social service part of news. Paid news is not a secluded event that happens now and then, but rather it has become the norm. When political news is just paid advertising, it is no different in business, bollywood and sports news as well. As it is most news channels, newspapers, media houses and publishing houses are owned or controlled by politicians of different parties.

Here we take a look at the top 7 newspapers known to favor specific political parties in India.

7. The Tribune

Tribune India LogoThe Tribune has always been a centrist newspaper covering the regions of North India such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and J&K. It’s been known to have a pro-congress attitude when it comes to choosing which news to print on the front page and which news to hide in small columns. It is rumored that Manmohan Singh only reads The Tribune and so doesn’t know what all is wrong with the government.

6. The Pioneer

The Pioneer LogoThe Pioneer is the second oldest English newspaper to be printed in India. It has always shown a pro-BJP, right wing, nationalist ideology. Chandan Mitra, owner and editor in chief of The Pioneer is a BJP member of Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. The Pioneer has focused on pro-right movements emerging out of the urban middle classes.

5. The Statesman

The Statesman LogoThe statesman has always been a left wing, anti-establishment newspaper. The only saving grace being that it has never pretended to be anything other than that. It has long been the newspaper of the left wing communists out of Kolkata. In recent times its circulation and power has seen a decline but there is no denying where it takes its ideological stand.

4. The Hindu

The Hindu LogoThe Hindu too has been open about its ideologies and doesn’t shy away from being declared an organized left newspaper. It is controlled by the Kasturi family which has been sympathetic to the CPM.

N Ram, the editor in chief of The Hindu till January 2012, is known to be a card carrying communist. The newspaper has attempted to hold a high level of journalism and maintained its cerebral nature, but it has not stopped readerships in recent years falling dramatically.

3. Indian Express

Indian Express LogoThe curious case of the Indian Express is really interesting. Ramnath Goenka, who founded the Indian Express Group was a member of the RSS and so the newspaper was always right wing in its nature. After his death the group has split in two and now there are two newspapers with opposite loyalties. While The Indian Express now supports congress, The New Indian Express continues to support NDA and right wing ideologies.

2. Hindustan Times

HT LogoThis newspaper is probably the worst case of partisan media. It can easily be mistaken for a Congress published newspaper as it has become nothing but a mouthpiece for Congress propaganda. It has roots in the Indian freedom movement and since then it has been a partner for the Congress party. It has a good strong hold in Delhi. It is managed by Shobhana Bhartiya who is the daughter of industrialist KK Birla and was a Rajya Sabha member of the Congress Party till 2012.

1. Times of India

The Times of India LogoThe Times of India is the leading English language newspaper in India. It tries to present an image of being a nationalist newspaper but has not been able to shed it bias towards the UPA government, now and then. The Times support for the Anna Hazare campaign against the congress led government did bring it out to be counted as the leading voice of the Indian middle class, a strategic move for business gains. However, any thoughtful reader of the Times of India would know that it’s not really the voice of the public that it claims to be.

Join the Conversation

57 Comments

  1. says: Ladad

    Thanks. Very balanced writing and true observation. Writers like you are needed to visualize the truth from economic,social, political and human development spheres. All the best wishes.

  2. says: Roy

    Incredibly good article, Sir. Thank You. But I live in Kolkata, and unfortunately, we do not get any right leaning newspapers in here.

  3. says: Qaseem Siddiqui

    Unbiased and fair current news must be published. Even news from rival countries should be brought in a light for viewers . Remember unverified breaking need promotes yellow journalism that is fatal to the system.

  4. says: R Murali

    In Today’s context which Indian Newspaper can be considered to be balanced & carries independent news and views – on an overall perception?
    I am thoroughly agitated with all the biased ‘News Sellers’ of today.

  5. says: Manjunatha A V

    Very few journalists in India are doing journalism in its sense without having any political or business patronage. Need is there a group of professional journos take the lead & bring out a good newspaper. Even the Hindu minus news and centre page is good for reading. It’s sports coverage is best

  6. says: Madhavi

    I find all the newspapers biased,…times of India pro bjp, Hindustan Times,( it was pro Congress till 2016) now pro BJP…the Hindu neutral…n the tribune pro Congress…Indian express pro bjp as well as Congress n channels only mirror now, wion ,are tolerable…they are atleast not branding in particular person whole day…

  7. says: Kuntimaddi Sadananda

    The newspapers are pro-Christian or Pro-Muslim. None of them report the real news. Hindu was originally good but now it is supported by NGO funds – mostly anti-Modi and ani-Hindu. I stopped subscribing to all newspapers starting from Hindu.

    1. says: N.SRININIVSA MURTHY

      Oh your congress fan you are not receiving congress PM word that’s your very much unhappy ok keep it up

  8. says: Alpha

    Per my observation, The Hindu is the most neutral of the lot. 90% of the media is already brought over by BJP from publicly looted funds.

  9. says: Tapendra Kumar

    Tell me one name of any news organization , I guarantee you i can prove its bias to some political party somehow(as you did with Indian Express).

  10. says: ADITYA YADAV

    THIS WEBSITE LOOK ME BIAS TO FRAME ITS ASSUMPTION AS FACTS,HAVING A SOFT CORNER FOR LEFT WING

  11. says: Asif

    I was here to know if there is any newspaper which prefer politics least. But bloggers only provides political views of news paper.

  12. says: Arindam Ganguly

    Currently all the newspapers except The Hindu and the Indian Express (which are preferred by most of the UPSC aspirants) all the news papers are pro zero freedom fighter antinational bj party.

  13. says: nudong bafrai

    i was going throgh the newspaper this morning, well normally i dont read newspaper but i incountered today when i was reading the paper, whole 6 pages was advertisement of modi and BJP, and rest are other news, my first impression after reading the newspaper @THEINDIANEXPRESS, is modi govt. are doing so well in shaping our country but after going through so many articles..got to know that not only medias are Godi media but newpapers are also Godi newspaper, they are sold to present rulling party and doing campaign through advertisements for coming elections.. we as a normal citizens expecting to covered up every news from different part of india ..eg: spanish tourist rape case, but there is not a small line about this case.. this is just one example but there are so many things and incidents to be covered up in a country apart from giving advertisement for politicians. i better quite reading newspaper again . ..! and thanks to you @Aditya Thakur sir, for eye opening article.

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