Published 16:31 IST, August 28th 2019
'Shameful!': Foreign media bias exposed by J&K officer, netizens livid
On Tuesday, a vigilant police officer discovered that a BBC Urdu news report from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) had contained what many in the news media call slant.
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The BBC has yet again courted controversy over its reportage from Jammu and Kashmir. On Wednesday, a vigilant police officer discovered that a BBC Urdu news report from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) had contained what many in the news media would label as slant. As per Imtiyaz Hussain, a police officer from J&K, the reporter from BBC Urdu wrote a story about stone-pelting incident in the region, where he justified the killing of the truck driver by stone pelters. The reporter had written that the stone-pelters attacked the truck as it was also carrying security personnel and thought the vehicle belonged to the Armed Forces, Hussain said.
J&K police officer calls out BBC
Hussain called out the clear bias of the BBC reporter who and slammed him for it. He tweeted the report and said that such journalists should be filled with shame. He also took a screenshot of the report in case the BBC Urdu website removed the article or made any changes to it. See his tweet on the BBC story below:
In this @BBCUrdu story the reporter presumes on behalf of rioters that truck would be carrying security forces,thus killed the truck driver. What a shameful justification of murder by learned journalist!
— Imtiyaz Hussain (@hussain_imtiyaz) August 27, 2019
Shame needs to die of shame. RIP Journalism. https://t.co/IavSNwRCs8
Netizens slam BBC for its 'bias'
The J&K cop also commented about the lowering of journalistic standards. He said that journalism which absolves murders cannot be termed as journalism. He also expressed horror over how an educated person can condone the killing of another human being.
Truth is the ultimate causality in journalism driven by agenda.
— Imtiyaz Hussain (@hussain_imtiyaz) August 27, 2019
Wish we had reporters on ground reporting truth. Absolving murderers is no journalism. https://t.co/zzCRLmay4M
Several said that BBC does not hold up to the journalistic values a news site is expected of. Netizens called the writing 'irresponsible' and ' unethical. Some even called for its ban. Read the comments below.
BBC called 26/11 terrorists "gunmen" and stone pelters as "dissenters or protesters".
— KaMal KuMaR (@KamalAs13256) August 27, 2019
So their anti India propaganda is very much clear. Its high time to #banbbc !!
@BBC has consistently played an irresponsible & unethical role regarding their 'stories' from Kashmir!
— RD (@DharRenuka) August 27, 2019
Read the controversial line from BBC here
The BBC Urdu website allegedly deleted the sentence which carried the bias of its author. However, the cop from Kashmir said he had taken a screenshot of the story. He posted the screenshot of the story and said that he had saved the image in case the BBC website modifies the article. Below its the screenshot of the alleged controversial story with the sentence showing the slant.
@BBCUrdu website has deleted the controversial line from the story now. I had taken the screenshot though. pic.twitter.com/sNrdTIaqUI
— Imtiyaz Hussain (@hussain_imtiyaz) August 27, 2019
Here's what the controversial line means, as per a Twitter user
As per a Twitter user, the highlighted line reads: The youth assumed that that the truck was carrying Forces as the civilian truck had a large number (of security personnel). The Twitter user claims he learnt Urdu in school. He added that Urdu was compulsory for students till Class VIII in J&K.
Badi tadaad hone ki wajah se security forces civil truck on mei bhi safar krti h aur nojwanon ne y farz kr liya ki iss truck m forces h.
— Aditya Kerni (@adityakerni) August 27, 2019
Hadn't found the utility of my school curriculum having urdu compulsory till 8th in J&K till this day.
BBC has not clarified over the controversy. So it not known whether it was poor sentence framing or the journalist' bias slipping into the story. Republic will keep you updated with the latest news on the matter.
15:22 IST, August 28th 2019