NBDSA Takes Action Against Zee News for False Reporting
The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) has officially reprimanded Zee News for broadcasting misleading content that potentially incited communal discord by implicating Muslims based on unverified information. In two separate orders issued on May 19, NBDSA Chairperson Justice AK Sikri determined that the broadcasts violated essential standards of accuracy, verification, and communal harmony. The authority mandated the removal of specific content in one instance and issued a warning in another.
Unverified Claims During Kanwar Yatra Coverage
One of the incidents involved a Zee News broadcast centered on the Kanwar Yatra, a Hindu pilgrimage in Delhi, where broken glass was found on a road. Official records indicated that the incident occurred when an e-rickshaw carrying glass panels was accidentally hit, causing the glass to scatter. However, in a broadcast aired on July 13, 2025, Zee News hosted a debate suggesting the incident might be a deliberate conspiracy against Kanwar yatris. The program included leading questions from the anchor, amplified claims from participants, and aired unverified allegations linking the act to hostility against Hindu pilgrims.
The NBDSA noted that Zee News constructed a narrative based on speculation and political statements without proper verification. The authority highlighted the dangers of such reporting, stating, “In the absence of such verification of facts, it was highly improper for the news channel to conduct a debate that had the potential to stigmatize a community and create communal disharmony.”
Zee News contended that it had later aired a clarification based on a Delhi police statement, asserting no evidence of conspiracy. However, NBDSA found the clarification insufficient, pointing out that the corrective segment lasted less than a minute compared to the 55-minute original broadcast. The NBDSA also criticized the use of terms like “jihadi action” and other inflammatory language, which linked the incident to broader, unfounded allegations against the Muslim community.
Coverage of Alleged Attacks on Hindu Temples
In a separate order regarding a December 1, 2024, broadcast, NBDSA reviewed Zee News’ coverage of purported attacks on Hindu temples in Bangladesh. Advocate Indrajeet Ghorpade, the complainant, argued that the channel misrepresented visuals of a deity’s desecration as occurring in Bangladesh, while the footage was from West Bengal and depicted a traditional ritual. This ritual involves breaking and immersing an idol as part of a longstanding local religious custom.
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The NBDSA concluded that Zee News failed to substantiate its claim that the video originated from Bangladesh, accepting Ghorpade’s account that the visuals were misattributed and misleading. Since the channel had independently removed the video, the NBDSA opted to issue a caution rather than impose a penalty. It observed, “The broadcaster has violated the principle of Accuracy as enshrined in the Code of Conduct by airing unrelated visuals. Since the visuals have now been removed by the broadcaster of its own accord, treating it as a mitigating factor, NBDSA considers it appropriate to caution the broadcaster against reporting inaccurate news.”
