The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority has imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Zee News for airing an unverified video that falsely linked a traffic jam on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway to a truck driver offering namaz, Live Law reported on Wednesday.
The complainants alleged that the channel broadcast a video claiming that a Muslim truck driver had stopped his vehicle in the middle of the highway to pray, leading to a massive traffic jam.
However, according to fact-checks and traffic advisories, the highway disruption was because of severe weather conditions and landslides. The broadcast communalised a routine traffic disruption and presented an unverified social media clip as the cause, the complainants alleged.
In its response, Zee News stated it had made clear during the telecast that the video was “viral” and unverified, Live Law reported. The channel submitted that it was reporting on widely shared online content and that the video was deleted after it was found to be fake.
The digital standards authority held that the use of unverified social media content by the broadcaster amounted to a serious lapse and violated the principle of “accuracy” under the Code of Conduct.
It added that members are required to adhere to the code before telecasting or publishing content.
The authority also said that there has been a growing trend of broadcasters and digital publishers relying on widely shared social media content.
This carries risks of distortion, misinformation and Artificial Intelligence-generated deepfakes being promoted, the authority observed.
It issued additional guidelines, supplementing existing standards, to regulate the use of social media content by broadcasters.
The authority mandated that all information, images and videos sourced from social media must be verified for accuracy before being broadcast or published. Wherever possible, such content should be corroborated through on-ground reporting and reliable sources, such as eyewitness accounts, police authorities and official government agencies.
It also directed that images and videos be examined for distortion, manipulation or the possibility of being AI-generated. Even where content is found to be authentic, it must not be presented out of context in a manner that could result in misinformation.
The authority also said that social media content used in reporting on military operations, armed conflict, internal disturbances, communal violence, public disorder, crime and other sensitive situations must be assessed against the principles of “public interest” and “accuracy”.
It also clarified that merely stating that a video is circulating on social media or that its authenticity is unverified does not absolve a broadcaster of responsibility under the Code of Conduct.
The authority directed that the guidelines be circulated among members and editors of the News Broadcasters and Digital Association and that the order be published on its website and included in its annual report.
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