News Broadcasting Standards Authority, an independent body set up by the News Broadcasters Association, has ordered Republic TV to apologise full screen on air to viewers for its Editor-in-Chief’s derogatory comments during a debate in January.
The order was issued on August 30 after a complaint was registered by a man named A Singh who claimed that the channel had falsely accused him of harassing its reporter at Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani’s rally on January 9. The journalist had been reporting about the purported absence of people at the event. She was heckled by many people and was later escorted away by the police.
For Urgent attention of Media :
Here is the copy of National Broadcasting Authority of India’s order asking Republic TV to tender fullscreen apology for using defamatory stuff against me & our team in its coverage of ‘Yuva Hunkar Rally’ back in Jan. Shame on Banana Republic. pic.twitter.com/9QrnYWAife— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) September 4, 2018
In the show, after playing a video of the internet, Goswami said, “I want their faces circled more. I want the family members of these cheap, perverse goons to watch [them] doing this…at this event which was the ‘Jignesh flop show’. Let’s name and shame these people.”
The authority has asked the channel to air the apology before the Editor-in-Chief’s 9 pm flagship show on September 7.
“The footage does not show use of any objectionable words by the complainant or any gesture which can be described as ‘lewd’ or ‘threatening’,” the News Broadcasting Standards Authority said in its order. “Use of words like ‘I am going to show these crude, lewd hyenas/show the dirty faces of lewd, cheap, vulgar, sexist, pervert anti-Indian goons’ by Mr Arnab Goswami who was anchoring the programme was totally unwarranted and unjustified and the same was in violation of the broadcasting standards.”
The channel had removed the video from its website and YouTube after the complainant sent them several emails, The Wire reported.
Earlier on January 10, the channel had issued a public apology to ABP News reporter Jainendra Kumar who had been accused by Goswami of harrassing the channel’s journalist. Kumar’s face had been circled without realising he was another reporter covering the event. Later, the channel said its actions were “inadvertent” and the result of an error by the video editor.
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