News Broadcasting
NBSA directs Zee news channels to apologise Rakul Preet Singh
NEW DELHI: The News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) has found the news channels Aaj Tak, India TV, Times Now, Zee News, Zee 24 Taas, Zee Hindustani, News Nation, India Today and ABP News at fault for putting out slanderous reports against Bollywood actress Rakul Preet Singh and linking her to drugs.
The NBSA has directed three channels from Zee Network to air public apology, while other channels have been issued a warning with respect to use of taglines and hashtags, and have been cautioned against telecasting unverified news.
The NBSA also provided the three Zee news channels with a statement that had to be aired on December 17: “We apologise for the manner in which the hashtags/taglines and images were telecast, while reporting the ongoing investigation of Rhea Chakraborty's narcotic drugs case. The telecasts violated the code of ethics and broadcasting standards requiring broadcasters to maintain neutrality, impartiality, accuracy and fairness, the specific guidelines covering reportage and specific guidelines for reporting court proceedings. We clarify that there was no intention on our part to sensationalise the issue or to prejudice the investigation in any manner. We reiterate our commitment to uphold every individual's right to fair trial and reputation, while reporting about matters under investigation.”
The channels have been further directed to remove any and all offensive videos on different platforms and report the same within seven days.
Several channels used titles/headings like “The Rhea Drug Circle”, “Drugs Mandli”, “Theeno Bud leetey the”, “Took Drugs” , “Drugs se Rakul Ki Preeti”, “Bollywood Drug Connection” etc for Rakul Preet Singh, which has been roundly criticised by the regulator.
The NBSA did not find the story run by Times Now to be objectionable but found its hashtags and taglines to be offensive. In the case of India TV, the regulator noted that pictures of the actor "dancing, smoking, and of her hips were objectionable, placed out of context and misleading." The taglines used by India Today and Aaj Tak were deemed "out of context…with no link with the news which was reported."
The reports were run by the channels in their coverage of the Sushant Singh Rajput case. The channels claimed that Rhea Chakraborty gave this information, however Rhea denied sharing any such information.
Singh had moved the Delhi high court in September seeking action against these news channels under the Programme Code, framed under the Cable TV Networks Regulation Act. The court, in turn, had directed the NBSA to look into the actor's complaints against the channels.
News Broadcasting
Rajesh Sundaram joins NDTV Profit as senior editor, assignment
The 32-year newsroom veteran has launched channels on three continents and covered everything from 9/11 to South African television
MUMBAI: NDTV Profit has bolstered its newsroom with a hire who has done rather more than most. Rajesh Sundaram, a journalist with over three decades of editorial, managerial and consultative experience across India and international markets, joins as senior editor, assignment, tasked with sharpening the network’s newsgathering and real-time response.
Sundaram’s career reads like a tour of Indian media’s most formative moments. He began at Businessworld in 1994, moved to Zee News as bureau chief across Mumbai and Chennai, then joined NDTV in 2002 as part of its political bureau during a particularly febrile period in Indian politics. A stint as India correspondent for Al Jazeera International followed, where he covered key geopolitical developments and got his first serious taste of the global newsroom.
What sets Sundaram apart, however, is his serial channel-launching habit. At NewsX, he helped get the operation off the ground. At Headlines Today, part of the India Today Group, he served as editor. At News Nation, he helped launch the Hindi news channel and its digital ecosystem. He then crossed continents to lead the launch of ANN7 in South Africa as editor-in-chief, overseeing both television and digital. Back in India, he launched Tamil news channels News7 Tamil and Cauvery News, and later served as principal consultant for the launch of Marathi channel Lokshahi. Most recently, he helped build and lead the Press Trust of India’s video service and content studio, before stints consulting for Business Today and The Himalayan Times.
Rahul Kanwal, chief executive and editor-in-chief of NDTV, left little doubt about what Sundaram is expected to deliver. “The assignment desk is where a newsroom’s intent becomes action,” he said. “Rajesh brings a rare combination of field experience and leadership in building news operations at scale.”
Sundaram has reported from across India and the world, covering elections, civil conflicts, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and the 2008 US presidential election.
At NDTV Profit, he will lead the assignment desk, driving editorial coordination and real-time response across markets and breaking developments. For a business news network sharpening its focus on speed and multi-platform delivery, it has hired a man who has built newsrooms from scratch on three continents. The assignment desk is in good hands.
