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Published Nov 03, 2025 | 4:07 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 03, 2025 | 4:07 PM
Eenadu, cautioned that sharing its news stories or e-paper content on WhatsApp, Facebook, or any social media platform without permission would invite action under the Copyright Act. (Wikimedia Commons)
In a move that raised many an eyebrow, Eenadu, one of the most widely circulated Telugu newspapers, has warned readers and social media users: ‘Share us, and face the music!’
Published as a full-blown advertisement, the notice from Ushodaya Enterprises, the Ramoji Group company that owns Eenadu, cautioned that sharing its news stories or e-paper content on WhatsApp, Facebook, or any social media platform without permission would invite action under the Copyright Act.
In short, no forwarding, screenshots, or “Good morning with Eenadu headlines” messages.
What caught many by surprise is how sharply this stance contrasts with what most other publications do. Practically every digital news outlet today offers easy share buttons at the top or bottom of stories, encouraging readers to spread the word far and wide. Eenadu, however, seems to be swimming against the tide.
Observers said the warning could be Eenadu’s way of keeping tighter control over how its content is circulated or interpreted online, especially when political debates often twist narratives out of shape.
Yet, critics pointed out that once a story is published, it naturally enters the public domain, where readers and commentators are free to discuss, dissect, and even disagree.
Social media had its own spin on the move. Many users joked that the warning reflects Eenadu’s growing nervousness about political winds shifting in Andhra Pradesh. Some claimed it revealed the paper’s anxiety over a possible YS Jagan Mohan Reddy comeback, hinting that the group was anticipating tough days if he regained power.
Adding fuel to the chatter, former MP Vundavalli Arun Kumar, who famously took on Ramoji Group in court over Margadarsi, said in a recent video that Eenadu’s nervousness was not news.
“Before the 2024 elections, they did something unprecedented — a front-page appeal asking people to defeat Jagan Mohan Reddy. That says it all,” he remarked, suggesting the publication knew what might happen if Jagan returned to the chief minister’s chair.
Even though the Telugu Desam Party is back in power, the unease doesn’t seem to have lifted completely. Political watchers said the rise of Jagan’s online army — quick to mock, and meme — has kept Eenadu on the edge, worried that its influence might be slipping in the digital arena.
So while Eenadu’s legal notice may be about copyright, it has also been read by many as a reflection of something deeper — a media giant trying to guard its turf in an age when news travels faster than ever, and control is just one “forward” away.
