Republic gives Economic Times 24-hour notice on fake story; 9pm deadline for Mumbai Police

A completely fake news story has been published in some media publications including Mid-Day, Economic Times and others. The unsubstantiated accusations made therein are completely scurrilous and we are shocked at the incessant attempts to spread lies and canards about the Republic Media Network without doing a single basic fact check.

In the latest fake news story, attempts have now been made to spread a false narrative that Hansa Research Group Pvt Ltd (‘Hansa Research’) paid money to the Republic Media Network. The CFO of the Republic Media Network has been completely falsely cited to make scurrilous, unverified and malafide assertions.

It is categorically clarified that Hansa Research has never done any business with Republic. The articles that have pedalled the fake story are completely wrong, bereft of facts, prima facie planted by the Mumbai Police and certainly published without basic verification by the respective media houses concerned. In the seeming  hunger to plant and run fake news, all sense of balance seems to have been lost by a section of the media.  

Republic Media Network is the Number 1 news network in India and in the media industry we work with a large number of clients. We work with and through respectable media agencies. Hansa Vision is one such media agency which has done business with regard to a global brand with Republic for the purpose of advertising on our Network. The payment made by Hansa Vision to Republic is in lieu of the on-air advertising done for the period of October 2017 to October 2018. To put the record straight: all channels receive advertising from media buying companies and that is not a crime. These facts are completely legitimate and in the open, backed by way of documentation for every transaction relating to it.

Advertising contracts and payments thereby are a norm in the broadcast news industry, and not an illegality. To use this advertising payment to another entity, to twist and craft a lie about companies paying Republic to increase Republic's ratings, is not just absurd but also malafide.

We are hereby giving Mid-Day and Economic Times and the Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited 24 hours to issue an official public apology and corrigendum (in print, on digital platforms and across its official social media handles). Failure to do so shall and will result in legal action by Republic against them in 24 hours.

The Mumbai Police should either deny or confirm the story, officially by 9pm today. We are issuing an official letter to them to this effect given the irrational and fake leaks. The Honourable Supreme Court has cautioned against irresponsible public statements but it is evident that the Mumbai Police isn't complying with their observations.  

It appears that the Mumbai Police which doesn’t understand the difference between the media agency Hansa Vision and the company Hansa Research, in its agenda to continue their vendetta campaign against Republic have resorted to plant fake stories bereft of fact, logic and substance. This is part of the long-drawn and pledged agenda of the Mumbai Police under Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh to work overtime to try and frame Republic, but  facts cannot be crafted to suit the whims and fancies of interest groups. The truth will always prevail. 

This, and other fabricated mistruths and motivated lies are defamatory and shall not go unchallenged by us further. Every unsubstantiated, lie-ridden conspiracy theory spread will be subject to legal action by the Republic Media Network. 

We are appalled that the “legacy” news organisations carrying this fake news story didn’t care to run even a basic fact check before the story was published. In that, the very fundamentals of journalism have been overlooked in what seems like the thrill to publicise a fake narrative against the Republic Media Network. 

Unlike certain sections of the media, Republic Media Network is proudly transparent, our ownership is public, our transactions are clean and our bank balances are in the open.

The Republic Media Network has always believed in speaking truth to power. We believe that even amidst these canard of lies - the truth will stand tall on its own legs. The truth does not need crutches.