C. Dawud
C. Davood Chalikkal (also written as C. Dawood) is an Indian journalist, author and the managing editor of MediaOne TV, a Malayalam-language news channel based in Kerala, India. He has been associated with MediaOne since the channel began broadcasting in 2011 and is known for his editorials and public interventions on media freedom and civil liberties.
Career
Dawood is the managing editor of MediaOne TV, a Malayalam-language television news channel promoted by Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited, which started operations in 2011. Before joining MediaOne TV, he worked with the Malayalam daily Madhyamam and served as assistant executive editor.
In InterViews and public talks, Dawood has said that MediaOne’s editorial policy is to foreground voices from marginalized communities and social movements, and to be “objective but not neutral” on questions of human rights and communal violence. The channel has carried extensive coverage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests, the 2020–2021 Indian farmers’ protests and the 2020 Delhi riots, among other national political developments.
MediaOne broadcast ban
In January 2022, India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting suspended the telecast licence of MediaOne TV after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs denied security clearance, invoking “national security” without making detailed reasons public. The Kerala High Court initially upheld the ban in February 2022.
Dawood argued that the channel was targeted for its critical reporting on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and for its coverage of minority issues. In April 2023, the Supreme Court of India quashed the ban, holding that the government’s use of national security could not completely oust judicial review and directing that security clearance be restored within four weeks.
In July 2025, Dawood reportedly faced threats from workers of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), who shouted that they would cut off his hands, drawing criticism from journalist unions and opposition leaders. The Kerala Union of Working Journalists and other media bodies described the incident as an attack on media freedom in the state.
Teaching and writing
Dawood teaches at MediaOne Academy in Kozhikode, where he conducts master classes and workshops for journalism students and early-career media professionals. He has also delivered lectures and public talks on media ethics, democracy and minority representation at literary festivals and civil society platforms, including the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL) 2025.
In 2013, Dawood published the Malayalam travelogue Gazza: Poralikalude Parudeesa (Gaza: Warriors’ Paradise), based on his travels in the Gaza Strip. Library and catalogue entries describe it as a travel narrative on everyday life in Gaza under Israeli occupation and blockade, written from a perspective of solidarity with the people of Gaza.
Awards
Dawood received the Kambissery Karunakaran Menon Memorial Award for best editorial in Malayalam dailies, for an editorial on the death in custody of Jesuit priest and activist Stan Swamy. The award, instituted in memory of writer and journalist Kambissery Karunakaran, recognises editorial writing in Malayalam newspapers.
Education
Biographical notes and professional profiles list Dawood as an alumnus of the University of Hyderabad (Hyderabad Central University), where he pursued higher studies before entering full-time journalism.