Barely a few years after India’s independence, Jawaharlal Nehru used the phrase “jute press” to refer to the leading barons of Indian media. The phrase was a thinly-veiled dig at some of the prominent newspapers owners – like the Jains, Birlas and Goenkas – who had first made money in the jute business.
It’s unclear as to whether the country’s first prime minister chose the phrase for how “jute” rhymed with “jhooth”, or falsehood. But it was evocative of his misgivings about corporate-media ties – it sought to tap into the stereotype of villainy that the socialist regime reserved for the business class.
