EAM S Jaishankar takes a swipe at the American media

According to news agency PTI, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has blasted the major American media, particularly The Washington Post, for their "biassed" coverage of the country.

"I read the news. "You know, there are some newspapers where you know precisely what they're going to write, including one in this town," Jaishankar said to laughter and cheers from an audience of Indian-Americans from throughout the country.

The prestigious Washington Post is a national daily newspaper based in Washington, DC, and is currently owned by Jeff Bezos of Amazon.

In response to a query about anti-national forces, Jaishankar replied, "My point is that there are prejudices, and there are efforts to identify,...

Look, the more India goes its own way and those who believe they are the custodians and shapers of India lose ground in India, the more likely it is that some of these debaters will leave."

He believes that such organisations are "not winning in India." The minister warned that such forces would try to dominate or shape India from the outside.

"This is something we must be mindful of. It is critical to engage in debate. It isn't because most Americans will not understand the subtleties and complexities of life back home, therefore it's crucial not to sit back and let others define me. That is something I believe is very important for us as a community "PTI mentioned him in its report.

In response to a query regarding how the Kashmir crisis is portrayed in Washington, Jaishankar remarked that if a terrorist incident occurs, it makes no difference what faith the perpetrator holds.

"Look at the media coverage to see how often you hear people talking about it and pronouncing it. What does the media cover and what does it not cover? "The Minister of External Affairs inquired.

He emphasised that this is how opinions and perceptions originate.

"There's a huge deal about the Internet being down. What can I say if you've reached the point where you believe an Internet outage is more harmful than the loss of human lives?" According to Jaishankar.

"Look at the A (Article) 370-issue. This was supposed to be an act of majority, putting an end to a temporary clause of the Constitution. This was meant to be a democratic process. Tell me if what was going on in Kashmir was not majoritarian. Things are placed out in a biassed manner, in my opinion. What is right and what is wrong is muddled. This is, in fact, politics at work. We must not abandon it. We should challenge it. We must educate. We need to shape the story. This is a cutthroat world. We must spread our messages. That is the message I have for you” he stated.

"By keeping out of these conversations, we are not supporting our country, our principles, or even our sense of what is right and wrong. I believe that we must voice our thoughts, share them with others, and educate others on what is good and bad.

"I honestly believe that if you look at the entire 370 situation in Jammu and Kashmir, it is mind-boggling. "Should there even be people who believe differently about something whose benefits are so obvious?" Jaishankar said.