Noting that a Zee News broadcast on population growth had “disproportionately focused only on one community, the News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority has asked the channel to air the authority’s observations through 24 hourly tickers between March 6 and March 7.

The NBDSA acted on the basis of a complaint filed by one Indrajeet Ghorpade over a show – titled Taal Thok Ke: Kya jansankhya badhotari ke liye ek dharma ko zimmedar thehrana jayaz hai? – which was broadcast on July 12 last year.

The authority noted that it was permissible for the broadcaster to conduct a debate on the issue, but it appeared that the telecast “lacked objectivity and neutrality as it disproportionately focused only on one religion/community as being solely responsible for the population growth”.

The NBDSA cautioned the channel to not repeat the violations in future and to publicise and excerpt from its order. “NBDSA has found that the broadcaster has violated the code of ethics and broadcasting standards and specific guidelines covering reportage by telecasting programme titled Kya jansankhya badhotari ke liye ek dharma ko zimmedar thehrana jayaz hai? aired on 12.7.2022 and by displaying selective data during the programme,” the mandatory ticker is supposed to state, according to the authority.

Meanwhile, in another order based on the complaint of one Matin Mujawar, the NBDSA asked Times Now to take down a video of a broadcast which had alleged that PFI supporters were raising pro-Pakistan slogans on September 23 last year.

It noted the channel’s submission that ANI and PTI had also reported the alleged incident and the Maharashtra CM had also referred to it in a tweet. However, the NBDSA pointed out that this contradicted the channel’s own admission that it was the first to report on the story. It also pointed out that several fact-checking websites had mentioned that those were “PFI zindabad” slogans, not “Pakistan zindabad”.

The authority said the channel not only ran tickers claiming news “breaks here first” or “Pak slogans by PFI workers”, the anchor also “emphasised the same during the broadcast, thereby conclusively claiming that the said slogans were raised by PFI workers during the protest”.

Newslaundry was among the portals which fact-checked the telecast.