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Arkreach, a solution powered by artificial intelligence for analyzing communication data, recently carried out a thorough examination of online media content related to the current General Elections to evaluate the profound influence of media and news reports on the two leading candidates for the national political race: the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leader of the Indian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi.
This detailed review of media coverage was carried out over 26,416 online news pieces from 418 distinct publications covering 10 Indian languages from March 20, 2024 (right after the first phase of the election was announced) to May 25, 2024 (up to phase 6). It offers a detailed look at the media's coverage of the Indian elections to show patterns in the online media's reporting.
Prime Minister Modi was the subject of 13,848 pieces, while Rahul Gandhi was featured in 7,616. The significant increase in coverage for PM Modi, reaching 82%, can be linked to his position as an incumbent and his frequent public appearances.
Prime Minister Modi enjoyed more comprehensive coverage across various regional languages, appearing not just in Hindi and English but also in Bangla, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Punjabi.
Positive Emotional Tone:
Prime Minister Modi: 19.3% (2,672 articles)
Rahul Gandhi: 12.7% (964 articles)
Negative Emotional Tone:
Prime Minister Modi: 5.2% (719 articles), with a reach of 1.35 million
Rahul Gandhi: 4% (308 articles), reaching 6.68 million
Although Rahul Gandhi had fewer negative articles, his broader reach suggests a more extensive distribution of negative news.
Rahul Gandhi's content received a 304% increase in social media interaction, showing a higher level of public engagement.
Prime Minister Modi had 75.5% unbiased coverage in articles (10,457), with a reach of 73.98 million.
Rahul Gandhi achieved 83.3% unbiased coverage in articles (6,344), reaching 77.60 million.
Arkreach leveraged its distinctive AI-driven algorithm for Indian elections, which depends on evolving indicators, to scrutinize online news media reports from India. This evaluation was conducted over various criteria such as audience reach, voice prominence, and emotional tone. The approach involved extracting online news content for pertinent pieces, followed by the application of natural language processing (NLP) to sort and classify the information. To achieve a more accurate examination, only pieces that mentioned PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi in the title were taken into account, thus omitting any redundant content. The examination lasted 66 days, from March 20th to May 25th, 2024, and included a total of 26,416 articles. To guarantee the accuracy of the data, Arkreach's measurement system scrutinized the entire coverage algorithm thoroughly, ensuring no data was missed.
Vishal Sharma, the Chief Strategy Officer at Arkreach, remarked, "In examining the intricacies of media coverage during the Indian elections 2024, it's clear that the strategic use of varied language and targeted interaction play a crucial role in shaping public opinion. Our report sheds light on the sophisticated tactics employed by both PM Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, showcasing their unique strategies to engage with a varied voter base. At Arkreach, our mission is to offer in-depth insights that aid in understanding these media stories, providing stakeholders with knowledge based on data.
The examination shows significant differences in the media attention given to the two leaders, shaped by their distinct public images and approaches to media. This difference underscores the significance of social media in reaching out to younger demographics and active online users, potentially affecting the outcome of the elections.
