Modi’s Media Monopoly: Why Only ANI and Doordarshan Get Access to PM’s VVIP Jet

New Delhi: The media landscape accompanying the Prime Minister on foreign visits has undergone a fundamental transformation under Narendra Modi’s leadership. Unlike his predecessors, who allowed journalists from a diverse range of publications to travel alongside them, Modi’s administration has sharply restricted access, allowing only a select few to board Air India One, the Prime Minister’s official aircraft. This shift has raised significant concerns about transparency, press freedom, and the government’s apparent preference for controlled messaging over independent scrutiny.

Under the current arrangement, only six media representatives are allowed on Air India One—five from Doordarshan (DD) News and one video journalist from ANI. No reporters from independent newspapers, private television networks, or digital media platforms are included. This is a stark contrast to the previous UPA government, under which journalists from more than 30 national and regional outlets routinely traveled on the same aircraft as the Prime Minister. The decision to limit access to just state-run Doordarshan and ANI, which has been widely criticized for its pro-government slant, raises serious concerns about whether the government is attempting to control the narrative around its foreign engagements.

Beyond the restriction on numbers, the choice of allowing only a video journalist from ANI onboard Air India One is particularly striking. With no ANI print or editorial staff present, the question arises: Does the government want only visuals, but no questions? The exclusion of mainstream print and television reporters suggests a deliberate attempt to prioritize optics over accountability, visuals over journalism. By allowing only a single ANI videographer, rather than a correspondent who might ask difficult questions, the government appears to be ensuring that the imagery of Modi’s visits is tightly curated and free from challenging scrutiny.

Meanwhile, journalists from other media houses, including India’s largest national and regional publications, are flown separately on a “special aircraft” that is not Air India One. According to an RTI response from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the travel expenses of these journalists are not covered by the government. Instead, their respective organizations are responsible for all costs, including travel, accommodation, and food. However, the distinction between Air India One, which hosts a handful of government-approved journalists, and the separate media aircraft raises further questions about the government’s media strategy.

Under previous Prime Ministers, including Manmohan Singh, journalists from The Hindu, The Indian Express, The Telegraph, Zee News, Aaj Tak, and many others were included in the official entourage, traveling on the same plane as the Prime Minister. This proximity provided access to real-time briefings, direct conversations with senior officials, and the ability to ask questions. In contrast, today’s approach keeps the press at an arm’s length, ensuring that only government-aligned narratives dominate coverage.

The government’s refusal to cover travel costs for journalists on the separate media aircraft is often cited as a justification for its policy. However, this argument does not explain why ANI alone is allowed on Air India One. If financial independence were the only concern, the government could simply extend the same self-funded travel arrangement to other journalists. Instead, it has chosen to grant exclusive access to ANI, effectively creating a monopoly on visuals from the Prime Minister’s trips. This raises serious concerns about media favoritism and the possibility that only government-friendly coverage will emerge from these diplomatic visits.

The decision to allow only one video journalist from ANI, rather than a mix of reporters from different media outlets, suggests a broader shift in how the Modi government interacts with the press. By emphasizing highly curated visual content over real-time engagement with journalists, it appears to be moving toward a model where public perception is managed through controlled imagery rather than open dialogue. This has profound implications for press freedom in India, as it reinforces the idea that independent scrutiny is unwelcome, and that only state-sanctioned narratives will be allowed to shape public discourse.

As India’s political landscape evolves, the government’s increasingly selective approach to media access raises fundamental questions about transparency, accountability, and the role of journalism in a democracy. By shutting out independent voices and allowing only a state-aligned broadcaster and one private agency to control the visual narrative, the Modi administration has ensured that its foreign visits will be seen, but not necessarily questioned. The absence of independent media voices from the Prime Minister’s aircraft underscores a deliberate strategy to limit press scrutiny, ensuring that only carefully curated visuals—not probing questions—shape the public’s perception of India’s global engagements.