India’s premier news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) seems to be caught in one controversy after another from fake news, outrage manufacturing by floating wrong news etc. The latest is the notice from Press Council of India (PCI) in connection with a senior staffer against a noted lady anchor. The cover-up by the top management is reminiscent of what happened at Tehelka.
PTI’s Board consists of many media barons like Indian Express’ Vivek Goenka, Times of India’s Vineet Jain, Hindustan Times’ Shobhana Bhartiya and The Hindu’s N Ravi. Will these persons intervene to rectify the errant management of PTI from stonewalling cases involving sexual abuse to lady journalists?
PTI’s Business News head Ammar Zaidi is named in a complaint about abusing a noted lady anchor of a business TV channel at a public function. The Print.in online news site and others have reported this condemnable incident by Zaidi towards the noted lady journalist[1].
The shameful incident occurred a few months ago at a function organized by the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and the lady journalist got an interview with the ONGC Chairman. This provoked the PTI’s Business News Division head Ammar Zaidi who got upset over the lady journalist getting exclusive news, and he started publicly abusing the ONGC Chairman and the lady journalist. Many journalists who witnessed this nasty incident said that Zaidi lost temper and foulmouthed the lady journalist for seducing the ONGC Chairman by provocative dressing.
It is learnt that many a lady journalist has filed complaints on the atrocious behavior of Ammar Zaidi to PCI and to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (MIB). The Ministry forwarded the complaints to PCI for appropriate action and PCI sought a reply from PTI and Ammar Zaidi. What is shocking is the attitude of PTI top management, who seen to be in denial that any such action by its senior journalist happened. PTI’s Editor in Chief Vijay Joshi and his deputy Priyanka Tikoo appear to want to go along to protect their colleague Ammar Zaidi by giving dillydallying and protective replies about the incident.
Several lady journalists in Delhi are angry with the attitude of the PTI’s top management headed by Vijay Joshi. They allege that Joshi might be trying to save Ammar Zaidi for earlier helping him out from action for declaring fake experience to get Lok Sabha’s permanent media pass. PGurus have reported earlier about the fraud committed by Vijay Joshi in faking his experience in Parliament reporting and caught by the Press Accreditation Committee[2]. Many journalists say that it was Zaidi lobbied to save Joshi for perjury in getting a Parliament pass. And now it is a payback time in the Boys’ Club, they accuse.
PTI’s Board consists of many media barons like Indian Express’ Vivek Goenka, Times of India’s Vineet Jain, Hindustan Times’ Shobhana Bhartiya and The Hindu’s N Ravi. Will these persons intervene to rectify the errant management of PTI from stonewalling cases involving sexual abuse to lady journalists?
References:
[1] Press Trust of India journalist accused of ‘sexual harassment’ – Jun 11, 2018, Print.In
[2] PTI Editor Vijay Joshi caught for making false claims by Lok Sabha. Permanent pass withheld – Nov 28, 2017, PGurus.com
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Please give a serious thought as to whether this incident deserves any attention at all. Granted the person mentioned might have used unsuitable language or flown into a rage. A quiet word and a warning should suffice. No need to hang the person or to emulate west and make a big political capital out of it.