News Broadcasting
NBC News sacks journalist in misleading coverage case
MUMBAI: Facing flak over misleading coverage of Trayvon Martin murder in March, NBC News correspondent Lilia Luciano who was part of the team that covered the incident has been fired.
The case dates back to 22 March when NBC News broadcast an edited segment from a 911 (US’ national emergency number) call placed by George Zimmerman at the time of the killing of Trayvon Martin.
In the NBC segment in which Luciano was the correspondent, the channel twisted the actual transcript of the call between the Dispatcher and Zimmerman to give an impression that the later was a ‘racist’. NBC’s broadcast kept harping on Trayvon Martin’s ethnicity.
The transcript that NBC put out on its show read, “This guy looks like he’s up to no good or he’s on drugs or something. He looks black.”
However, the unedited tape shows the following conversation:
Zimmerman: “This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.”
911 operator: “Okay. And this guy, is he white, black, or Hispanic?”
Zimmerman: “He looks black.”
The editing led a media watchdog organisation to accuse NBC News of engaging in “an all-out falsehood”.
While NBC News initially refused to comment, the news broadcaster did issue an apology to viewers.
“During our investigation it became evident that there was an error made in the production process that we deeply regret. We will be taking the necessary steps to prevent this from happening in the
future and apologize to our viewers,” NBC News said in a statement.
This is the second head to roll as reporter Jeff Burnside from WTVJ in Miami was earlier dismissed.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
