NBSA asks Zee News to apologise for malicious coverage against Gauhar Raza

WrittenBy:NL Team
Date:
  • Share this article on whatsapp

The News Broadcasting Standards Authority on August 31 ordered Zee News, a national news broadcaster, to televise an apology on September 8 at 09:00 pm on their channel as well as imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh holding them liable for malicious coverage against Gauhar Raza, a poet and scientist.

subscription-appeal-image

Support Independent Media

The media must be free and fair, uninfluenced by corporate or state interests. That's why you, the public, need to pay to keep news free.

Contribute

During March, 2016, Raza was branded as a part of an “Afzal Premi Gang” in a telecast by Zee News for reciting his poems in the ‘Shankar-Shaad Mushaira’.

imageby :

Following this, Raza along with other artists like Ashok Vajpeyi, Shubha Mudgal, Sharmila Tagore and Syeda Hameed filed a complaint with the NBSA against Zee News, with Vrinda Grover as their counsel.

Awarding the highest punishment in their jurisdiction, NBSA, the self-regulatory complaints redressal body of the News Broadcasters Association (NBA), stated that the Zee News programme had violated the NBA code of ethics and broadcasting standards.

Shabnam Hashmi, a social activist, who shared a copy of NBSA’s judgment on Facebook wrote that the regulatory authority’s decision had “upheld the constitutional right of Raza to freedom of speech as well as his right to dissent”.

The August 31 order, which has received much praise on social media comes over a year after the complaint was filed.

imageby :
subscription-appeal-image

Power NL-TNM Election Fund

General elections are around the corner, and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans together to focus on the issues that really matter to the voter. From political funding to battleground states, media coverage to 10 years of Modi, choose a project you would like to support and power our journalism.

Ground reportage is central to public interest journalism. Only readers like you can make it possible. Will you?

Support now

You may also like