In a move shedding light on the deteriorating media discussion standards, Ofcom, the British communications regulator, has imposed a $27,103 (€22,200) fine on the license holder of a right-wing Indian news channel, Republic TV, for breaching its broadcasting code with its anti-Pakistan tirade in a program.
The British Office of Communications in a verdict on the controversial program cited hate speech and derogatory comments against Pakistanis on Republic’s primetime show, “Poochta Hai Bharat,” (India is Asking) aired in September 2019.
As a result of the punitive action, Worldview Media Network Ltd, the licensee of Republic TV, has been banned from airing the show in the UK again.
“In the program, the presenter and some of his guests conveyed the view that all Pakistani people are terrorists… “their scientists, doctors, their leaders, politicians all are terrorists, even their sportspeople, every child is a terrorist over there. You are dealing with a terrorist entity,” the British regulator said, citing the statements.
The discussion was anchored by Arnab Goswami, a self-described patriot is notorious in the Indian media circles and in Pakistan for spewing out venom against Pakistan and Indian minorities.
In the program, one Indian guest also described Pakistani scientists as “thieves,” while another described Pakistani people as “beggars,” Ofcom had said in February when it imposed first a statutory sanction on the show, according to the British media reports.
“We considered these statements to be expressions of hatred based on intolerance of Pakistani people based on their nationality alone, and that the broadcast of these statements spread, incited, promoted and justified such intolerance towards Pakistani people among viewers,” the regulator added.
The Ofcom found that the material aired on Republic TV “posed a risk of harm to the Pakistani community in the UK, and to good relations particularly between members of the UK’s Indian and Pakistani communities”.
The latest development is the third time that Ofcom has found Republic breaching its broadcasting code, but it is the first time that the regulator has issued a fine.
Since its launch in 2017, Republic TV, known for its alleged embedment with India’s establishment, has been accused of biased reporting in favor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Hindu nationalism.
Even within India, the channel’s controversial editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami has been criticized for airing aggressive debates, mostly against Pakistan and other neighboring countries. Some critics rejected the channel’s propaganda tactics after the imposition of the British regulator’s fine, while journalists say such self-styled propagandists tarnish the image of thousands of honest professionals in the media, as some people tend to bracket them in the same category as well. Objective media reporting is generally seen as a rarity in India-Pakistan discussions but critics charge that Goswami has introduced a jingoistic style of fear-mongering. In his defense, Goswami has often cited his patriotism as an Indian.
Critics in and outside of India say the anchor of the program frequently uses irresponsible and opinionated reporting in an attempt to spark communal tensions in India and to raise jingoism against Pakistan.
