Mumbai: For the first time since the ED cleared Arnab Goswami and his network of any wrongdoing in the ratings scandal, he speaks candidly about it with Barun Das at news video magazine OTT platform News9 Plus, revealing the plot to frame him.
In a sensational disclosure, Goswami claimed the entire ratings system was paralysed by the television industry in India to target him. "It was a bitter battle between new entrepreneurship and legacy media."
In his statement, he speaks not just about the ratings question but about a whole range of issues facing the Indian news media.
As Goswami gets into the hot seat of Duologue with Barun Das to answer questions, it is a role reversal – both for Das as well as Goswami.
TV9 Network managing director & CEO Barun Das has disrupted the news television order in the country. He has now been donning a new role facing the camera in his series Duologue, which featured former UK Prime Minister David Cameron as the last guest.
Arnab responded to criticism about being pro-establishment in a recent episode of Duologue with Barun Das, citing the "nation wants to know" controversy to his days at NDTV and Times Now, as well as his vision for the Republic.
Speaking about Goswami's show, Das said, "I believe leadership is all about disruption. Arnab is phenomenal and makes for an unrivalled case study. You may love him or despise him, but you ignore him at your peril. The best part of having him at Duologue has been his uncanny ability to speak frankly on issues that not only define him but also have a significant bearing on the news media scene in India."
After the cameras stopped rolling, Goswami added, "Barun has an easy-going yet razor-sharp conversational style. He got me to open up on subjects I’ve been quiet about, and I’m glad we "duologued" like I haven’t before. I wish his OTT platform and this show all the very best."
Talking about the clean chit, Goswami said, "I recorded this Duologue with Barun a few days before the final TRP report came out. He made me speak about our incarceration for the first time since my arrest. People should know the truth about what happened to the Republic, how we fought, and how we have won. Most grateful to Barun for the opportunity."
Duologue with Barun Das featuring Arnab will host four episodes: The Disruptors; Friends, foes, and fortitude; Media Inc; and Frankly Speaking, Finally.
Das' show is a cerebral conversation with a legend or a legend in the making. As the title suggests, it is a two-way interaction to enable the exchange of ideas in a free-flowing manner. Duologue is not provoked by headline management but to evolve emancipated influencer conversations.
