On September 10, HW News broadcast a show on journalist Ravish Kumar’s Ramon Magsaysay Award and Tabrez Ansari’s lynching where charges of murder were recently dropped. The show was anchored by Abhisar Sharma and has since attracted attention on social media for the wrong reasons.
During the program, Sharma flashed a photoshopped image of an Aaj Tak promo on Chandrayaan-2. This was pointed out by several social media users who shared a video created by ‘Political Kida’.
So @abhisar_sharma used a photoshopped image to target Modi govt and to show that Media is working for him.
No wonder channels throw him out for fake news.
cc @chitraaum pic.twitter.com/CWrpYOreec
— Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) September 10, 2019
Aaj Tak anchor Chitra Tripathi, who was featured on the photoshopped promo, tweeted about the misinformation.
मोदी विरोध में इतना गिर जायेंगे अभिसार @abhisar_sharma इसकी उम्मीद नहीं थी.
वैसे धान से गेहूँ निकालने वाला इंसान गर्त की पत्रकारिता ही कर सकता है.
गधों की तरह बोलने के पहले फ़ैक्ट चेक करते की जो तस्वीर आप वायरल कर रहे हैं उसकी हक़ीक़त क्या है?
बीमार हैं आप,अपना इलाज कराइये. https://t.co/2IFIV4JO20
— Chitra Tripathi (@chitraaum) September 10, 2019
The original promo
The HW News broadcast carried a morphed image of a July 22 broadcast by Aaj Tak on the launch of Chandrayaan-2. The original promo was tweeted by Tripathi on the same day.
आज रात 10:30 मिनट पर मेरे साथ देखिये, @aajtak पर-
देश के लिये गर्व से भर देने वाला दिन,
अब चांद हमारी मुट्ठी में ..☺️☺️ pic.twitter.com/0nfrMp8tKb
— Chitra Tripathi (@chitraaum) July 22, 2019
As evident, the original image has the words – “अब चांद हमारी मुट्ठी में (The moon is now in our clutches),” while the photoshopped infographic included Prime Minister Modi’s name in the sentence – “अब चांद मोदी की मुट्ठी में (The moon is now in PM Modi’s clutches.)”
The photoshopped promo has been available online since before its appearance on HW News.
लगता है साहब ने मुठ्ठी कस के नही बांधी थी? pic.twitter.com/87pySOIeUa
— बेबाक़ आवाज़ ( Parody ) (@BebakAawaj) September 7, 2019
HW News’s response
After the error was brought to the notice of HW News and Abhisar Sharma, the channel took down its broadcast and uploaded it again after deleting the misinformation. A clarification on the same has been posted on its YouTube channel but is missing from its website, Facebook page and Twitter handle.
Sharma has also not added a clarification while tweeting the updated video titled, “रवीश को मैग्सेसे अवार्ड मिलने पर मोदी की ख़ामोशी! (Modi’s silence on Ravish’s Magsaysay award.)”
आखिर रवीश कुमार के मैग्सेसे पुरस्कार पर मोदी सरकार क्यों खामोश है और तबरेज अंसारी को किसने मारा। सुनिए सरकारhttps://t.co/9e5UB0VSxJ
— Abhisar Sharma (@abhisar_sharma) September 10, 2019
A photoshopped Aaj Tak promo thus featured on an HW News broadcast anchored by journalist Abhisar Sharma. HW News had in December last year broadcast a show anchored by journalist Vinod Dua which misled viewers on Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s statements on stalled projects and NPAs. The channel later took down the program and provided an elaborate clarification.
Update:
The photoshopped tweet had also made an appearance in a September 8 report by The Wire.
