Foreign media influence will increase as India's global role is growing, says S Jaishankar

In reply to a question at a lecture event in Hansraj College, New Delhi, EAM Jaishankar underscored that it’s not necessarily the governments which influence the country, it is often done by the media in the present day, reported ANI.

“You named Al Jazeera. But I will only make one broader point applicable to other outlets, outfits as well. Because we are becoming bigger, because we are doing better, because our progress in many ways will shape the rest of the world, the rest of the world is also trying to influence it in different ways,” EAM Jaishankar was quoted as saying by the news agency.

“They don’t have to be governments who are influencing it. Often these are done by media. If you look today, at the kind of comments which are coming out of media, the kind of attempts to shape opinion, to take it in different directions, I think all of these are very much part of an influence game that is going on,” he added.

Jaishankar said India should accept and prepare itself for countering these ‘realities’ in the globalised world.

“I think we should be aware of it, globalized “Duniya me” we should accept that these are realities and we should prepare ourselves for it. As I said, where there is a need to give answer, we answer it and if there is a need to ignore or find ways of dealing with it. We will do so,” he said.