GCR constitutional amendments & motions (Micha

Motion condemning actions of and suspending alumni privileges to alumnus A. Goswami

Action motion to condemnation and suspend alumni privileges 

Proposed by GCR members (various)

Description/Intention issuing a strong statement against the actions of alumnus A. Goswami to distance St Antony's GCR from his divisive, intolerant, unethical and irresponsible actions as an influential individual and journailst in his home country, India. Suspension of alumni privileges though largely symbolic - includes suspending Goswani's access to College facilities and honors - will hopefully detract from the credibility Goswami garners from his association with the University of Oxford and St Antony's College.

GCR motion and statement condemning the actions of former Antonian Arnab Goswami 

This GCR notes...

  1. Arnab Goswami is a journalist, managing director and editor-in-chief of Republic Media Network in India. Goswami is both co-founder and majority stakeholder of Republic TV. Goswami completed an MSt in Social Anthropology at St Antony’s College, Oxford in 1994.

  2. Under Goswami, Republic TV has spread and promoted fake news--news items with no evidence and basis--that violates the ethics of journalistic practice. He has unfairly represented minority communities: he blamed the Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim gathering. for the pandemic in India, and falsely accused Shaheen Bhagh for causing traffic-jam related deaths. This was a direct targeting of specific populations and has been criticised for inciting communal hatred in India.

  3. Goswami has been prominent in driving a media narrative which underplays or denies caste atrocities, making the marginalised community of Dalits even more vulnerable in their fight for justice. Despite the recorded dying declaration of a 19 year old Dalit girl that she was brutally raped by four “upper” caste Thakur men, Goswami’s channel sided with the accused men, going as far as insisting that the Dalit family’s accusation of gangrape are “fictional lores” (manohar kahaniyan)

  4. It has been noted that Republic TV is primarily funded by individuals linked to the current governing political party, and as such, reportage is heavily biased and partisan: as Dexter Filkins notes in The New Yorker, this “Oxford graduate...acts as a kind of public scourge for opponents of [current prime minister’s]...initiatives.” The Republic Media Network (along with other news channels) is also currently under investigation for allegedly manipulating and inflating television rating points to increase ad revenues.

  5. Goswami’s communal incitement is deliberate and calculated to sensationalise. He has normalised propaganda masqueraded as news, and practiced hate speech against vulnerable populations: terming individuals “anti-national” and asking for the killing of thousands in Kashmir.

  6. Republic Media’s reportage and specifically Goswami’s coverage on primetime debates have been critiqued for encouraging a ‘trial by media’ heavy with misogynistic language against specific individuals. This media trial has incited hateful comments and presumed guilt of an individual yet to undergo lawful trial. Further, it has led to a distraction from serious incidents including caste-based violence in India.

  7. Goswami has broken labour laws and forced employees to travel to and report from containment zones, prompting several employees to resign from Republic Media.

  8. Goswami is not a part of the Editors Guild of India, and has been criticised by the Supreme Court of India to evaluate broadcasting standards, with specific focus on Goswami’s unethical practice of muting guests with differing opinions.

This GCR believes...

  1. It is through association with universities like Oxford and colleges like St Antony’s that Goswami seeks to legitimise socially destructive processes and unethical journalism.

  2. As students of St Antony’s College at one of the world’s most elite institutions of education, we have a duty to act responsibly and contribute to a more sensitive and inclusive world.

This GCR resolves...

  1. This statement is read as an expression of condemnation by the students of St Antony’s College against the actions practiced and promoted by Goswami; practices that go against the values of diversity and inclusion espoused by the St Antony’s community.

  2. The College to suspend Antonian alumni privileges, including visiting and speaking in College premises as long as Goswami practices and promotes unethical journalism which subsequently impacts the lives of vulnerable South Asians.