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UK Broadcast Regulator Slaps £20,000 Fine On Republic Bharat For 'Promoting Hatred'
Writer: Navya Singh
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India, 23 Dec 2020 4:21 AM GMT
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UK's Office of Communication said that the content aired by Republic Bharat “amounted to hate speech against Pakistani people and derogatory and abusive treatment of Pakistani people”.
Republic Bharat, Hindi news channel of Republic TV, was fined 20,000 pounds (roughly Rs 19.73 lakh) by United Kingdom's communications regulator Office of Communications on Tuesday, December 22, for broadcasting content that included "offensive language", "hate speech" and " abusive or derogatory treatment of individuals, groups, religions or communities".
The Hindi news channel has been asked to air an apology for the same.
The UK Broadcast regulator criticised views expressed by Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in the channel's "Poochta Hai Bharat" programme aired on September 6, 2019, and mentioned that some guests violated its broadcasting norms.
The programme was related to India's Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft mission to the moon and "involved a comparison of India's space exploration and technological advancements compared to Pakistan, and Pakistan's alleged terrorist activities against Indian targets," the release noted.
The Office of Communication said that the content aired by the Hindi news channel "amounted to hate speech against Pakistani people and derogatory and abusive treatment of Pakistani people".
The release mentioned that the guests and Goswami said: "Their scientists, doctors, their leaders, politicians all are terrorists. Even their sports people. Every child is a terrorist over there. Every child is a terrorist. You are dealing with a terrorist entity".
"In the context of these criticisms, the presenter [Goswami], addressing Pakistan and/or Pakistani people, said: We make scientists, you make terrorists," the release added.
The UK regulator also highlighted remarks made by "General Sinha", one of the guests in the panel, who referred to people of Pakistan as "beggars" and warned of an attack on the nation.
"The programme was potentially offensive and was not sufficiently justified by the context" the release read. It also added that the use of the term "Paki", which it said was racist and unacceptable to the UK audience.
The sanctions have been imposed on Worldview Media Network Limited, which looks after the licence for airing Republic Bharat in the UK.
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