Zee News has faced fresh censure by the News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Association (NBDSA) for airing misleading and unverified communal content falsely incriminating Muslims.
In two different orders dated May 19, NBDSA Chairperson Justice AK Sikri observed that Zee News broadcast violated core values of verification, accuracy, and communal harmony. In one order, it called for the removal of content and issued a warning in the other.
One case pertained to the mainstream news channel’s broadcast during the Kanwar Yatra in Delhi, when broken glass was found scattered on the road after an e-rickshaw carrying it was pushed from behind.
However, during a debate aired on July 13, 2025, the channel framed the incident as a potential deliberate conspiracy against Kanwar yatris. The anchor posed leading and suggestive questions, while the broadcast amplified unverified claims by panellists who alleged the act was intentional and driven by hostility toward the Hindu pilgrims.
Broadcast without independent verification
According to the NBDSA, Zee News established a narrative based on speculation and political statements without verifying the claims independently, despite being fully aware of the risks involved in such reporting.
“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 stigmatise a community and create communal disharmony.”
Zee News defended, stating it had aired a clarification based on a Delhi Police statement dismissing any conspiracy. However, the NBDSA rejected this defence as inadequate.
“While the broadcaster had submitted video clips of the clarifications it aired based on the statement made by the Delhi Police, those clarifications were less than a minute long and appeared to be lip service rather than corrective action, particularly given that the original broadcast lasted 55 minutes,” it said.
‘Jihadi action, spitting in food’
The broadcast, NBDS said, used provocative terms like “jihadi action” to portray the incident, even claiming that Muslims spat in food. The association stated that such language amounts to broader, more inflammatory allegations against the community.
It found that such language, combined with stereotypical visuals, such as depicting a man in a skullcap committing these acts, reinforced communal biases and worsened the misleading nature of the broadcast. Ruling that the program breached guidelines on accuracy as well as racial and religious harmony, the NBDSA administered a formal reprimand and ordered the network to take down the broadcast from all digital platforms.
“In view of the above, NBDSA decided to admonish the broadcaster and directed it to be careful and avoid such violations in future broadcasts,” it said.
In a separate ruling regarding a December 1, 2024, broadcast, the NBDSA scrutinised Zee News’ reporting on alleged attacks targeting Hindu temples in Bangladesh. The complainant, Advocate Indrajeet Ghorpade, alleged the channel attributed visuals of a deity being desecrated to Bangladesh, even though the video was from West Bengal, showcasing a ritual.
He said it was a centuries-old ritual where an idol is ceremonially broken, then immersed periodically as a local religious tradition before creating a new idol.
The NBDSA held that Zee News failed to provide evidence to prove the video originated from Bangladesh. Endorsing Ghorpade’s findings, the authority ruled that the visuals were misattributed and deceptive. Because the network had already deleted the video, the NBDSA opted to issue a formal caution instead of a financial penalty.
“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,” the association observed.
