A new report by Islamophobia Watch has documented 120 television news presentations that it describes as Islamophobic across Malayalam news channels between January 2024 and September 2026.
The report, titled “Islamophobia of Malayalam TV Channels: 120 Presentations (January 2024 to September 2026),” examined news reports, headlines, discussions and visual presentations over nearly 1,000 days.
It argues that anti Muslim bias in Malayalam television news is not limited to individual journalists or isolated reports, but reflects wider patterns in newsroom practices.
“The Islamophobia in Malayalam news channels cannot be seen as merely the problem of a few isolated news items or individual media professionals,” the report said.
Mainstream Channels Also Examined
While Janam TV, which has been associated with Hindutva politics, features prominently in the report, the study also identified what it describes as Islamophobic framing on mainstream channels including Asianet News, Manorama News, 24 News and Mathrubhumi News.
The report said News18 Kerala requires “special scrutiny” because of both the number and nature of presentations it documented.
It also examined links between media ownership, editorial leadership and political organisations.
The report highlighted Reporter TV Managing Director and Managing Editor Anto Augustine’s earlier association with the Kerala Congress, an NDA constituent. It also referred to Big TV chief editor Sujaya Parvathy’s publicly expressed support for Sangh Parivar politics.
Asianet News was also discussed in the report in connection with its ownership links to Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Kerala BJP president.
How the Report Defines Islamophobic Coverage
The report said it did not classify every report critical of Muslims or Islam as Islamophobic.
Instead, it examined coverage that repeatedly associates Muslims with suspicion, extremism, security threats, intolerance or social backwardness.
It also looked at the generalisation of individual actions to the wider Muslim community, different standards being applied to Muslim political and social activities, and the repeated portrayal of Muslims as an “other” through headlines, visuals and discussion formats.
Incidents Highlighted by the Report
Among the cases examined was the February 2024 death of a student at Poochar Veterinary College. Janam TV described the incident as “Campus Talibanism”, although the report said there was no direct connection between the incident and Muslim organisations.
The study also questioned media coverage of the February 2024 Poonjar church ground incident. It said News18 initially reported that youths had rammed a bike into a priest, while later reports referred to a car. The report argued that the changing description contributed to portraying the incident as a deliberate attack.
Another case involved the March 2024 Rameshwaram Cafe blast. The report said several Malayalam channels reported that a suspect named Shabeer had been detained, while 24 News referred to him as the “main accused”. The NIA later clarified that no one had been arrested at that stage and warned against speculation. Asianet News subsequently withdrew its report, according to the study.
The report also criticised an April 2024 Manorama News debate over whether the UDF should accept SDPI’s electoral support. It noted that representatives from the RSS and BJP, CPI(M) and Congress participated, while no SDPI representative was invited.
It described this as an example of what it called media Islamophobia by denying a minority political organisation an opportunity to present its position.
Report Points to Different Standards
The study also compared coverage of mob violence in different parts of Kerala.
It said Asianet News used the headline “Malappuram mob attack” when reporting a March 2024 incident in Muslim majority Malappuram, while a similar mob killing in Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district was reported by 24 News as a localised incident without associating the wider district with the crime.
The report also criticised Doordarshan for airing The Kerala Story on April 5, 2024, during the Lok Sabha election campaign. The film makes claims about Hindu and Christian women allegedly being converted and recruited to ISIS by Muslim men, claims that have been widely disputed.
Report Calls It a Structural Problem
Islamophobia Watch said the issue should be examined through the wider functioning of newsrooms rather than only the political views of individual journalists.
It pointed to factors including story selection, editorial priorities, headlines, language, visuals, discussion questions and the selection of guests.
“The way the strengthening Hindutva political atmosphere and existing prejudices about Muslims filter into the daily operations of newsrooms is the central question raised here,” the report said.
At the same time, the study acknowledged that some of the same channels it criticised have also carried reports and discussions challenging Islamophobia and highlighting discrimination against Muslims.
It described this contradiction as an important part of the issue, arguing that media organisations can produce both anti Islamophobic coverage and Islamophobic presentations at different times.
