News Broadcasting Standard Authority fines ‘Aaj Tak’ Rs.1,00,000

Airing the suicide news of Sushant Singh Rajput on news channels inappropriately 

The news channel ordered to broadcast an apology

• NBSA must act against every news channel airing such news items. It is a high time that the people that get irritated with flawed and sensational news items should boycott such news channels.
• Often, the innocent Hindu Saints are implicated in false charges and ridiculed in public by the news channels. It wouldn’t be a surprise if people demand to impose a ban on these channels.

New Delhi – The News Broadcasting Standard Authority (NBSA) fined a television news channel, ‘Aaj Tak’. This action was in connection with the airing the tweets regarding Sushant Singh Rajput. NBSA ordered the news channel telecast an apology on the channel and remove all the links to this program on YouTube, Instagram, and other websites. NBSA will decide the date and time of the apology. ‘The news channel must tender an apology on a CD within seven days’ ordered NBSA.

[Breaking] Insensitive Reporting On Sushant Singh Rajput's Death: NBSA Imposes Rupees One Lakh Fine On AajTak, Asks Zee News, India TV And News24 To Apologize @aajtak,@ZeeNews,@News24,@indiatvnews https://t.co/wYzxmT1C6G

— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) October 8, 2020

‘Aaj Tak’ had telecast a programme based on the last tweet uploaded by Sushant Singh Rajput on 16th June. Sushant Singh Rajput removed this tweet before committing suicide. In this programme, the channel stated, ‘ How can Sushant get out ‘hit wicket’ ? How did he get out on the pitch of life ‘hit wicket’? How can ‘Sushant’ be so ‘Shant’ (calm) ?’

Do not sensationalise a sad incident : NBSA rebukes the news channel

The News Broadcasting Standard Authority (NBSA) oversees the quality of news and programmes aired by TV channels. It said, “The ‘Aaj Tak’ has not followed standard practices while airing the tweet. Questions were asked to Sushant Singh by using the heading ‘Hit wicket’. In fact, he is no more alive. Therefore, this heading was aggressive and breach of privacy. It hurts the pride of a dead individual. The duty of the news channels is reporting. They should not cross the limits of personal life and turn sad news into sensational one”. (The attitude of news channels which sensationalise the news about the death of an individual is like exploiting tragic news as a mean to entertain others. An offence should be registered against such people and they should be given a life term. – Editor)