New Delhi : The Ministry of Defense has once again warned Indian news channels not to broadcast fake news while issuing a warning regarding the tension between India and Pakistan. The Ministry has expressed its concern not to publish any news citing sources in its statement. It has been said that any incident should be based on the facts issued by the Ministry of Defense.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Defense on social media X, it is said that ” All media channels, digital platforms and individuals are advised to refrain from live coverage or real-time reporting of defence operations and movement of security forces. Disclosure of such sensitive or source-based information may jeopardize operational effectiveness and endanger lives. Past incidents like the #KargilWar, 26/11 attacks, and the #Kandahar hijacking underscore the risks of premature reporting. As per clause 6(1)(p) of the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021, only periodic briefings by designated officials are permitted during anti-terror operations. All stakeholders are urged to exercise vigilance, sensitivity, and responsibility in coverage, upholding the highest standards in the service of the nation. ”
The Ministry of Defense has said in its advisory that news channels are expected to show sensitivity and responsibility in reporting the current situation. Especially in real time reporting, wrong facts and direct transmission of military activities are strictly prohibited.
It is noteworthy that on the night of May 8, most of the news channels shocked the country and the world by broadcasting a situation like the outbreak of a full-scale war between India and Pakistan. It is feared that the Indian army will suffer a lot. Many channels broadcast the news of the Indian Army destroying Pakistan’s Karachi port itself, which was completely baseless news. Apart from this, one of the news channels talked about the air attack on Rawalpindi, Sialkot by the Indian army, while some news channels ran the breaking news that Islamabad was also occupied by the Indian army. Even the news of Pakistan’s downing of several fighter planes by India featured prominently and many defense experts also contributed their absurdity to it.
One of the news channels even told that the Prime Minister of Pakistan Sahbaz Sharif fled the country, while many channels also showed that the chief of the Pakistani army, General Asif Munir, was arrested and another general was made the army chief. This kind of news kept the hearts of the people of India racing throughout the night of Thursday 8th May. The amazing thing is that none of the ex-military officers sitting on all the channels as defense experts denied this act which caused huge damage to the strategy of the Indian Army but they continued to sacrifice in it.
It is to be kept in mind that the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Army have always made it clear that we have limited our operations only to terrorist bases. But the Indian news channels have left no stone unturned in telling the war-like situation between the two countries by moving away from the government’s statement.
Obviously, India’s media channels have been shocked by such news, while the Indian government also has to deny such news. So today the Ministry of Defense has again issued this warning.
Indian ambassadors in other countries of the world are talking to the media and giving information about the actions taken by the Indian government against terrorism and the infrastructure that nurtures it. Balanced briefings are being conducted daily by two senior officers/spokesmen of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Army in a very balanced and simple language. But many news channels have broken all the limits on the late night of May 8 while other newspapers also published misleading news and created a situation for the government of India to clarify.
It is significant that a detailed advisory was issued for the media by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on April 26. In the said advisory, the central government had warned not to repeat these mistakes, but the unhealthy competition of the media has put a question mark on the credibility of Indian news channels.
