‘Slapped for smoking bidis', session with estranged husband
All news channels have covered Seema’s story extensively – some even uploading around 20 new videos each day, many laced with misleading thumbnails. From Rahul Gandhi “dropping her off to Pakistan” to Seema coughing up “terror plots in polygraph tests”, news channels have made all sorts of false claims in the race to win perhaps the best clickbait award.
While Republic Bharat had a report on Seema smoking bidis and being slapped by Sachin, TV9 Bharatvarsh aired a show which sounded like a family counselling session with her “ex-husband” Ghulam Haider.
In case you missed these details, here is a complete breakdown of the TV circus around the Seema-Sachin love story.
‘Snake, noose at Pak border’
“ISI ki naagin ne Sachin ko dasa (ISI snake has bit Sachin)”, read a thumbnail to a Network18 video which had a picture of a snake but was only about the FIR against the couple.
“‘Jaasoos’ Seema Haider ne Sachin ko ‘maar’ daala? (‘Spy’ Seema ‘killed’ Sachin?)”, read another thumbnail for a video which only talks about questioning by investigators.
“Seema ko milegi khule aam saza! Pakistani border par phaansi ka phanda tayyaar? (Seema will be punished in public! A noose is ready on the Pakistan border?),” read a thumbnail with the pictures of the prime ministers of the two countries, on a News18 Madhya Pradesh video.
A Republic Bharat thumbnail claimed to telecast Seema “live, ‘running towards the Pakistan border’”.
A News18 employee, who is part of the team that makes thumbnails for the channel, told Newslaundry that they have been told to target around 100 million views each day and Seema-Sachin videos are getting millions of eyeballs. “No senior is involved in this. This is only to do with targets.”