News Desk |
India’s two leading news channels pleaded apology after their bigoted transmission hurt the sentiments of the Muslim population. The two channels allegedly insulted the Muslim leader and targeted the holy Muslim sites calling them terror factories.
The hostile comments incited public outrage after which the news channels were forced to issue apologetic statements. The Republic TV headed by India’s hyper-nationalistic and aggressive anchor Arnab Goswami, implicated the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Maulana Jalaluddin Umri as a terrorist while CNN-News18 linked Islam’s holiest places to terror factories in their subsequent transmissions.
The footage used in our broadcast is clearly watermarked with a JeM logo and was clearly referred to as a propaganda video. The use of the video has drawn ire from certain quarters.
The Indian Muslim population outpoured a massive backlash on social media demanding an apology from the news channels. The Republic TV issued a statement of apology after All India Muslim Personal Board recorded a heavy protest on Twitter demanding compensation from the administration.
In a series of tweets, the Republic TV apologized for airing a wrong image by the video editor.
CORRIGENDUM & APOLOGY for taking a wrong image of Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umri carried on Republic TV at 4:03 PM. It was an inadvertent error, the video editor concerned carried the wrong image which was wrongly broadcast once & immediately corrected (1/2)
— Republic (@republic) March 3, 2019
Republic TV unconditionally apologises to Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umri for the same @AIMPLB_Official (2/2) pic.twitter.com/RIOEw5G4RK
— Republic (@republic) March 3, 2019
On the other hand, channel CNN-News 18 owned by India’s top billionaire Mukesh Ambani showed the images of Grand Mosque of Mecca, the epicenter of Islam and called it a part of terror factory of Jaish-e-Muhammad, the organization accused by India of deadly Pulwama attack.
The channel CNN-News 18, however, issued a clarification yet unapologetic statement blaming the JeM for hurting the sentiments of certain sections of the society.
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“The footage used in our broadcast is clearly watermarked with a JeM logo and was clearly referred to as a propaganda video. The use of the video has drawn ire from certain quarters. But given the context it was used, any religious offense and outrage should be directed at the JeM,” the media outlet stated.
Indian media has been fuelling tensions between India and Pakistan ever since the Pulwama attack on Indian forces that claimed the lives of 44 Indian troops.