Sunday is a day of leisure. But not for TV news.  

Mainstream TV media worked tirelessly to bring you verified and in-depth reports, bringing in top-notch experts to help you understand the total lunar eclipse that occurred this Sunday.  

Their findings: Cooking or eating during the eclipse is harmful. Looking at the eclipse with the naked eye is harmful. It is harmful for pregnant women to go out during the eclipse. Taking a bath during the eclipse is harmful. Eclipses also cause earthquakes and floods. Heck, even sex can ruin your life! 

All in all, news channels claimed a lunar eclipse brings bad vibes, so pray to god as much as you can.

Their sources? 

Astrologers. Yes, astrologers, who, according to one news channel, also predicted the fatal Ahmedabad plane crash.  

Welcome to mainstream media’s second-favourite pastime after the Hindu vs Muslim rhetoric – religion vs science. 

The total lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and Moon, casting its shadow on the Moon and temporarily turning it a reddish color. The red colour is due to the Earth’s atmosphere bending sunlight, which makes the Moon glow red under the filtered rays. A simple phenomenon turned into an ominous event on NDTV India, Republic Bharat, News Nation, Aaj Tak, and ABP News. 

Moreover, Sunday primetimes weren’t just filled with abject sensationalism; it was also doused in harmful propagation of misinformation related to health, pregnancy, and diet, which was in direct violation of one of the programme code provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 that prohibits content that encourages superstition or blind belief and promotes violence, hatred, or anti-scientific attitudes. If a channel violates the code, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) can issue advisories, warnings, orders for apology scrolls, and in more serious cases, suspend transmission for a set period or even cancel the channel’s registration or license.

Despite this, we got video thumbnails that read “Blood Moon lata hai duniya me kayamat, kya hai rahasya?” (Blood moon brings doomsday to the world, what’s the mystery?).

And “Chandragrahan khatam hote hi aayi darawni chetavni” (As soon as the lunar eclipse ended, a terrifying warning came).

Also, “Chandra grahan khatam hote hi baad, barish ki chetavni” (A flood and rain warning issued right after the lunar eclipse ended).

Here’s how the mainstream media covered the total lunar eclipse.

NDTV India

On NDTV’s new show Bharat Ki Baat Batata Hu, host Syed Suhail, who recently moved from Republic Bharat, seemed like he didn’t miss his previous workplace.  

On Sunday, Suhail’s dedicated segment on the lunar eclipse was replete with tickers and voiceovers like “Blood moon ka hoga shubh asar ya hoga khatarnak?” and “Khooni laal rang ka chand shubh hoga ya ashubh?”

During the show, Suhail reiterated several unsubstantiated claims and misinformation. The formula was simple: repeat unscientific claims taking cover of ‘astrological wisdom’. Some of them were:

➨To stay at home and not see the eclipse with the naked eye, as the harmful rays can affect them

➨Cooking or eating food during the eclipse should be avoided because the food becomes impure due to its negative effects

➨ The eclipse can harm one’s health, and astrologers say to remain cautious and keep chanting mantras.

➨If a pregnant woman goes outside during the eclipse, it can affect the health of the unborn child

➨Eclipses are believed to bring disasters like earthquakes and floods

➨During the eclipse, negative energies dominate, which is why one should not start any new or auspicious work.

All of these theories have already been debunked by scientists and scholars long ago. Space scientist Dr Suvendu Patnaik has stated that people can witness the lunar eclipse with the naked eye as it doesn’t cause any harm. People can eat and drink without worry, as food spoilage during an eclipse is nothing but a misconception, added the scientist. 

Current scientific research denies any linkage between eclipses and pregnancy. In fact, not eating or drinking for an extended period, in turn, can cause low blood sugar that is harmful for both the woman and the baby. A Forbes article notes that even if eclipses and lunar alignments exert a slight tidal influence on earthquakes, the effect is negligible and far from the catastrophic claims peddled on TV news. 

Suhail was also heard saying:  “Rahu Ketu jaise graho ka Chandrama par prabhav padhta hai jisse vatavaaran dushit ho jaata hai, manyaata hai ki mandir band karne se devtaon ko negative energy se suraksha milti hai (The influence of planets like Rahu and Ketu falls upon the Moon, which is believed to pollute the environment. It is believed that closing temples protects the deities from negative energy).”

And there was more. “Grahan sehat par bura asar daal sakta hai, jyotishi ye bhi kehte hai isliye savdhaan rahe aur mantro ka jaap karte rahe (An eclipse can harm health; astrologers also say this, so one should remain cautious and keep chanting mantras),” Suhail said. 

To balance the show, Suhail spoke about what science has to say about lunar eclipse: that it is a completely safe phenomenon, you can see with the naked eye, there’s no effect on food, no health effects on pregnancy, and no relation to disasters. But the question is, why was a significant portion of the show spent on spreading unscientific notions about a completely natural phenomenon?

Republic Bharat

On Mahabharat, the primetime show on Republic Bharat, anchor Priyanka Sharma urged her audience to not eat during the eclipse, cover their eyes with glasses, not do any auspicious work, put a tulsi leaf in the leftover food before the eclipse, take a bath after the eclipse is over, sprinkle ganga water in the house to purify it, not use sharp objects during the eclipse and chant God’s name and engage in prayers as much as possible. 

During the show, she said, “Bhagwan ka bhajan jitna zyada ho sakta utna Bhagwan ka bhajan kare (Pray to God as much as you possibly can).”

She also said, “Bache huye khaane me grahan se pehle tulsi ka patta zaroor daale. (Always put a tulsi leaf in leftover food before an eclipse)”

News Nation

In true News Nation style, the channel held a face-off between astrologers and astronomers. The Sunday special coverage on the lunar eclipse, hosted by Rohit Ranjan and Ranjana Singh Rathore, had tickers like “Aamne saamne dharm aur vigyaan… kya samaadhan?” (Religion and science face-to-face… what’s the solution?). 

The anchors posed illogical questions to the astronomers, like what was the scientific view on the astrologers’ argument that planets have a significant impact on zodiac charts. 

“Kyuki space ka zikr ho raha hai, graho ka zikr ho raha hai, aap space India se bhi aati hai aur bada jo tark diya jaa raha hai jyotishacharyo ki taraf se ki wo graho ka bada asad hoga alag alag jaatko ki kundli par aur usi ke hisaab se shubh ashubh chandragrahan hone waala hai, vigyaan ki drishti se kaise dekh rahe ise? (Since space is being mentioned, and planets are being mentioned, you also have Space India. The big argument being made by astrologers is that the planets will have a major impact on the horoscopes of different people, and based on that, this lunar eclipse will bring auspicious or inauspicious effects. From the perspective of science, how do you see this?)”

Another anchor claimed astrologers study extensively and astrology is a calculated science. He said even the Ahmedabad plane crash was supposedly predicted. 

“Astrologers ye bohot padhai karte hai, isko bhi ek ganana maante hai, calculation rakhte hai aur ganana ke hisaab se ye kehte hai ki is ghatna ke baad kya kya hone ki sambhavna hai aur jab Ahmedabad me ye plane hatsa huya tha tab bhi predict idhar se kiya tha (Astrologers study this extensively; they also consider it a form of calculation, they keep records of these calculations, and based on them, they say what possibilities might arise after such an event. When the plane crash happened in Ahmedabad, they had also predicted it from here),” the anchor said.

Aaj Tak

One of Aaj Tak’s eclipse reports on YouTube was titled “Chandra Grahan 2025: 122 saal baad chandragrahan 2025, garbhvati mahilaay kya kare? (Lunar Eclipse 2025: After 122 years, Lunar Eclipse 2025- What should pregnant women do?)”

But Aaj Tak didn’t stop at clickbaity titles. During the programme, anchor Arpita Arya sat with an astrology ‘expert’ discussing what one should or shouldn’t do during the lunar eclipse. At around the 29th minute, Arya even asked whether pregnant women should be sleeping during the eclipse or staying awake, framing it as a serious concern:

"Siddharth ji, charcha mein aapko jodte hue- kyunki pregnant lady, garbhvati striyon ki baat ho rahi hai, toh phir bahut saare sawaal hote hain ki is kaal mein yeh jo abhi 3–3.5 ghante ka waqt hai, ismein sona chahiye unhe ya nahi sona chahiye? Kya unhe bhi waise hi jaap karna chahiye? (Mr Siddharth, bringing you into the discussion – since we are talking about pregnant women, many questions arise: during this period of 3 to 3.5 hours, should they sleep or not? Should they also be reciting the same religious chants?)” Arya asked. 

The programme went as far as to suggest that food cooked before the eclipse could be “protected” simply by placing a tulsi leaf in it. Arya herself actively participated in entertaining this scientifically unverified claim, and asked:

"Aap keh rahe hain tulsi rakh do. Toh matlab agar pehle raat ka khana banaya ya subah ka khana banaya, usme aap keh rahe hain tulsi rakh do. Toh kitni kitni der ke liye rakhna hota hai? (You’re saying to put tulsi leaves in it. So, if food is cooked the night before or in the morning, you’re saying to put tulsi in it. Then, for how long should it be kept in there?)”

ABP News 

On ABP News, star anchor Chitra Tripathi’s show Grahan Kaal included several astrologers who read the horoscopes of viewers. Tripathi and several astrologers explained how the blood moon would affect people of different zodiac signs, giving it a sense of personalised cosmic influence.

An astrologer also cited India’s win against South Korea at the hockey finals of the Asia Cup to justify that the eclipse was something auspicious. 

“Aap dekhenge- ek toh sabse badi good news yeh hai ki Delhi mein sky clear hai, aur log aaram se dekh sakte hain. Delhi-NCR mein toh sabse positive yeh hai. Doosra, aaj India Asia Cup bhi jeeta hai – 4–1 se South Korea ko hara diya. Toh yeh bhi ek signal deta hai ki yeh jo cheez hai, bahut auspicious hai. Har tareeke se acchi hai.” (You will see – first, the biggest good news is that the sky is clear in Delhi, and people can watch it comfortably. In Delhi-NCR, that’s the most positive thing. Second, today India also won the Asia Cup – defeating South Korea 4–1. So, this also signals that this event is very auspicious. In every way, it is a good sign.)

Over the top thumbnails 

Several digital YouTube outlets of these channels posted similar sensational content. For example, a thumbnail of a News Nation’s video report warned, “Saal ke aakhiri Chandra Grahan me garbhvati mahilaen na karein ye galti (During the last lunar eclipse of the year, pregnant women should avoid making this mistake)”, while NBT’s thumbnail cautioned, “Chandragrahan me galti se bhi na kare ye bhul, garbhvati mahila rakkhe in baaton ka khyaal (Never make this mistake during a lunar eclipse – pregnant women should keep these things in mind.)”

ABP went even further, claiming that “if you have sex during the lunar eclipse, you will be ruined.” This digital trend mirrored the television coverage, prioritising superstition and fear over science or reason.

In contrast, The New Indian Express published a detailed article debunking these myths. Experts emphasised that there is no scientific basis for such claims. 

Dr B Vijay Bhaskar, an orthopaedician, pointed out: "Restrictions are imposed on pregnant ladies during eclipses based on misunderstandings." The article clarified further: "If lunar eclipses were harmful, the WHO or the Health Ministry would have issued an advisory."

Eclipse coverage in international media 

While the Indian media was busy spreading illogical reasons and blind beliefs, effectively misleading viewers, international outlets like Al Jazeera and DW News reported on the lunar eclipse as a natural phenomenon, without linking it to superstition.

For instance, DW News explained why the blood moon appears during a lunar eclipse, inviting a scientist who broke down the concept in simple, easy-to-understand language. Both channels also showed how people were capturing the moment on their phones and stepping outside to enjoy the experience with joy and curiosity.

The Guardian and the Associated Press also covered the lunar eclipse, sharing visuals from different regions around the world. The Guardian posted a video showing that the eclipse was visible from Australia, across Asia, and Western Europe, noting that “a blood moon has been captivating stargazers. This marvel is caused when the Earth shades the moon from direct solar light, causing the moon to appear red.”

Similarly, the Associated Press shared visuals of a “total lunar eclipse called a blood moon because of its red shadowy hue, unfolding over the Middle Eastern sky on Sunday night and early Monday, local time.”

Unlike Indian media, international coverage did not associate the eclipse with blind beliefs or superstitions, treating it instead as a shared astronomical event.

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