Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi (MS)

New Delhi, Sep 5: The news channel Republic TV is made to run a full-screen apology to its viewers for using slanderous words by Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of the channel, in a debate programme that was held in the month of January 2018. This is ordered by Broadcasting Standards Authority, an independent body set up by the News Broadcasters' Association.

This order was issued to Republic TV on August 30 by the authority on a complaint that was raised by a person named A Singh.

According to Singh, he was falsely accused of harassing the reporter of Republic TV at the rally of Jignesh Mevani, MLA of Gujarat that was held on January 9. The said lady journalist was appraising the viewers of the channel about the professed meagre attendance of the public at the event when she was manhandled by a group of people and had to be moved away under police protection.

During the debate on this incident Arnab said, “I want their faces circled more,” while the video of the said incident was being played on the screen. He also said in a stern voice, "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 channel is ordered to run a full-screen apology by the authority on September 7 before Arnab's 9 pm flagship show.

In its order, the Broadcasting Standards Authority said, "The video of the incident does not show the use of any derogatory words by the complainant or gesture that can be termed as 'lewd' or 'threatening'. The choice of words used by Mr Arnab Goswami, who was anchoring the programme that was debating this incident, like ‘I am going to show these crude, lewd hyenas/show the dirty faces of lewd, cheap, vulgar, sexist, pervert anti-Indian goons’ totally uncalled for and not justified at all. In addition, this is a gross violation of the broadcasting standards."

Republic TV had removed the said video of the incident from its website as well as from YouTube after Singh, the complainant sent them repeated emails in this regard.

Republic TV had tendered a public apology on January 10, 2018, to Jainendra Kumar, news reporter of ABP news channel, who was wrongly accused of being one of the hooligans who tried to manhandle the lady journalist of Republic TV at the event. Jainandra's face was circled by the Republic TV channel without knowing that he was also covering the event for some other media channel.

The channel further said that it was an error that was committed inadvertently by one of its video editors.