Sakshi (media group)

Sakshi
Company typePrivate
IndustryMass media
Founded2008 (16 years ago) (2008)
FounderY. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy
HeadquartersHyderabad, Telangana, India
Key people
  • Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy
    Y. S. Bharathi Reddy (Chairperson)
Products
Subsidiaries
WebsiteSakshi.com

Sakshi (transl. The Witness)[1] is an Indian Telugu-language media group. The group owns the daily newspaper Sakshi, 24-hour news channel Sakshi TV, and associated digital ventures. Its first asset, Sakshi newspaper, was launched on 23 March 2008 by Jagati Publications Ltd. owned by Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.[2] Sakshi TV was launched on 1 March 2009, by Indira Television Ltd., also owned by Reddy. The group is currently run under the chairmanship of Y. S. Bharathi Reddy, wife of Jagan Mohan Reddy.[3]

As of 2019, Sakshi newspaper had an average daily circulation of 10.64 lakh, ranking second in circulation among Telugu daily newspapers behind Eenadu and sixteenth in India across languages.[4][5]

The newspaper and TV channel are widely regarded as propaganda outlets for Jagan Mohan Reddy and his party YSR Congress Party (YCP).[6][7][8][9][10] They are criticized for their biased coverage of the political rivals of Reddy and YCP.[6][11][12] Sakshi TV has been found to be in breach of the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) code of ethics on various occasions.[13][14]

  1. ^ Ngwainmbi, Emmanuel K. (18 September 2017). Citizenship, Democracies, and Media Engagement among Emerging Economies and Marginalized Communities. Springer. p. 134. ISBN 978-3-319-56215-5.
  2. ^ Tata, Madhavi (7 April 2008). "We Are The News". Outlook. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Sakshi Media Group appoints Vinay Maheshwari as Executive Director & CEO". Exchange4media. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  4. ^ "2019 Highest Circulated Dailies, Weeklies & Magazines (across languages)" (PDF). Audit Bureau of Circulations. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  5. ^ "2019 Highest Circulated Daily Newspapers (languages wise)" (PDF). Audit Bureau of Circulations. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  6. ^ a b "All you wanted to know about who owns the South Indian news channels you watch". The News Minute. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2022. The channel is actively used by Jagan Mohan Reddy for political propaganda, especially against his political rivals. When he was arrested the channel ran consistent campaign claiming Jagan was innocent.
  7. ^ Jeffrey, Robin; Sen, Ronojoy (29 September 2015). Media at Work in China and India: Discovering and Dissecting. SAGE Publications India. ISBN 978-93-5150-545-7.
  8. ^ Rodrigues, Usha M.; Ranganathan, Maya (26 November 2014). Indian News Media: From Observer to Participant. SAGE Publications India. ISBN 978-93-5150-464-1.
  9. ^ "YSR gets a much-needed "off" on Sakshi TV". Indian Journalism Review. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  10. ^ Shaw, Padmaja (13 April 2017). "Who wants to own Telugu news channels?". The Hoot. Retrieved 27 October 2022. The channel has clearly been an instrument in promoting the political interests of Jaganmohan Reddy and the YSRCP.
  11. ^ A, Srinivasa Rao (27 July 2012). "Congress in Andhra Pradesh mulls its own TV channel, newspaper". India Today. Retrieved 25 October 2022. In the last one year, Jagan launched an offensive against the Congress government and the party through his media house - Sakshi television channel and Telugu daily.
  12. ^ Oskarsson, Patrik (19 September 2018). Landlock: Paralysing Dispute over Minerals on Adivasi Land in India. ANU Press. pp. 141, 179. ISBN 978-1-76046-251-2.
  13. ^ "News Broadcasters Association - Fifth Annual Report 2011-12" (PDF). Retrieved 25 October 2022. NBSA therefore held that Sakshi TV was in breach of NBA Code of Ethics and Guidelines particularly the provisions relating to accuracy, impartiality, objectivity, neutrality and privacy in reporting.
  14. ^ "NBSA hauls up CNN-IBN, Aaj Tak and Sakshi TV for breach of guidelines". Indiantelevision.com. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2022.