Sting operations are an inherent part of journalism. But in recent days this journalistic tool has started losing its credibility. Stings should be carried out only in exceptional circumstances because they need careful handling. The risk of fall-out is even higher if the sting is used to serve vested interests.

We’re talking about newly-launched news channel Republic Bharat.

Launched under the leadership of Arnab Goswami, TV journalism’s very own He-Man, Republic Bharat caters to the Hindi-speaking population. Monday, February 6, was the second day of the channel’s existence and the entire day was peppered with announcements of a forthcoming “big exposé” related to Mamata Banerjee. It should be remembered that Republic doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to these “exposés”—they’re usually announced on Goswami’s 9 pm show, no one remembers it the next day, and other media houses usually don’t take note of them or even follow them up.

And Republic Bharat went precisely the same way.

Their “sting operation” was of former TMC MP Kunal Ghosh, even though the channel claimed it was related to Mamata Banerjee. Ghosh is a businessman who was sent to the Rajya Sabha by the TMC in 2012. At the time, he was CEO of a TV channel called Channel 10 and the editor of two dailies: Samvad Pratidin and Shakalbela. The former owner of Channel 10 had written to the CBI that he had been “forced” by Ghosh to sell the channel. Additionally, there are several FIRs against Ghosh, the most important one being related to the Saradha chit fund scam.

The sting was conducted by reporter Shawan Sen who asked Ghosh some questions. Ghosh first revealed that Mamata Banerjee is linked to the Saradha chit fund scam. Second, he said the evidence related to this scam has been “removed”. Third, Ghosh said the Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar is hand-in-glove with Mamata Banerjee so no further evidence related to the scam will come up.

Let’s break down this “super exclusive” news story.

A quick Google search of “Kunal Ghosh and Mamata Banerjee” shreds the exclusivity of this exposé, unfortunately. In 2014, when Ghosh had been in judicial custody, he said the same things on camera, adding that Mamata was a “coward” and had knowledge of the scam. In fact, for the last five years, Ghosh has repeated these allegations innumerable times—that Mamata knew about the Saradha scam. Take a look at this video from 2013.

All the “exclusive details” that Republic Bharat claims to have obtained through a sting operation—Kunal Ghosh has been distributing the same information on CDs. His anti-Mamata statements have been widely reported in the media. Here are just a couple of examples.

Considering the statements are already in the public space, there’s very little about this “scoop” that was exclusive or even news. When someone on the Republic Bharat panel tried to point it out, Goswami went on a shouting spree, effectively making sure no one could speak or understand what he was saying. In Banaras, the term used for such shouting matches is “Shwan Sabha (assembly of a pack of fighting dogs)”. For the last few years, this “assembly” seems to have shifted from Banaras to Arnab Goswami’s channel.

So what can one say about the channel’s claims? Is it sensationalism, yellow journalism or something else? The 2019 general elections are barely months away and like political parties, many media houses have also chosen their sides. Goswami and Republic openly support the governing party. And looking at the way BJP leaders like Union minister Jitendra Singh were willing to appear on Republic Bharat to add weight to this non-issue—the indications are clear. You can read about their first “sting” here.

Yet this is Goswami’s trademark style: to make news out of non-news. Republic’s launch saw these flimsy “stories” as well. For example, in a “most important” story, Laloo Yadav was seen talking to his own party leader, Shahabuddin. It’s also not difficult for Goswami to make hollow claims ring true—given how BJP leaders are readily available to appear on his channel, day and night.