The regulator found that an episode of Republic’s ‘Poochta Hai Bharat’ contained hate speech and offensive content that violated broadcast codes.
The UK’s broadcasting and communications regulator OfCom imposed a £ 20,000 (Rs 19.8 lakh) fine on Worldview Media Network Limited, which operates Republic TV’s Hindi channel Republic Bharat in the UK, for broadcasting a program that contained hate speech and offensive content.
In a sanctions statement issued on Tuesday, the regulator found three violations during an episode of Republic Bharat’s program ‘Poochta Hai Bharat’ that aired on September 6, 2019.The debate was conducted by Republic’s editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, and focused on on Indo-Pakistani relations. This included a discussion about India’s space exploration record and other technological advancements compared to Pakistan, the ongoing dispute between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, and Pakistan’s alleged involvement in terrorist activities against Indian targets, Ofcom said.
“Ofcom’s Default Decision found that an episode of the ‘Poochta Hai Bharat’ program contained comments made by the presenter and some of his guests amounting to hate speech against the Pakistani people and derogatory and abusive treatment of the Pakistani people. . The content was also potentially offensive and was not sufficiently justified by the context, ”the statement said.
OfCom said that on the show, the host and some of his guests conveyed the view that all Pakistanis are terrorists, including that: “their scientists, their doctors, their leaders, politicians, they are all terrorists. Even his athletes ”; “Every child is a terrorist there. Every child is a terrorist. It is a terrorist entity ”. One guest also described Pakistani scientists as “thieves”, while another described Pakistanis as “beggars”. In the context of these criticisms, the presenter, addressing Pakistan and / or the Pakistani people, said: “We make scientists, you make terrorists.”
“We consider these statements to be expressions of hatred based on the intolerance of the Pakistani people for their nationality alone, and that the broadcast of these statements spread, incited, promoted and justified such intolerance towards the Pakistani people among viewers,” OfCom said.
The Ofcom Executive discovered that this program contained “non-textual hate speech and that this content was potentially highly offensive”, violating Rules 2.3, 3.2 and 3.3 of the broadcast code. Here’s what the rules represent, according to OfCom’s statement:
Rule 2.3: “When applying generally accepted standards, broadcasters must ensure that the context justifies the material that may offend. Such material may include, but is not limited to […] Offensive language, […] discriminatory treatment or language (for example, on grounds of […] religion or belief […]”.
Rule 3.2: “Material containing hate speech must not be included on television […] programs […] Unless the context justifies it ”.
Rule 3.3: “Material that contains abusive or derogatory treatment of individuals, groups, religions or communities should not be included on television […] services […] except where justified by the context … “
In addition to the hefty fine, Worldview Media Network Limited has also been asked not to repeat the show; and release a statement of Ofcom’s findings on a date and in a form determined by the regulator.
In their defense, Worldview and Republic Bharat stated that these statements were “figures of speech that were not intended to be taken literally, which Asian viewers would have clearly understood”. The channel also argued that these statements were “justified by reference to the political context of greatest tension between India and Pakistan at the time of transmission”, and that the program as a whole “called for peace, unity and the elevation of all the region”. regardless of nationality. “The network added that the discussion was balanced with the inclusion of some more conciliatory statements on the show and the participation of guests from both India and Pakistan. However, although OfCom agreed that it was legitimate to discuss Indo-Pakistani relations, he did not accept the chain’s characterization of the show as a whole and found that the show had the clear potential to be highly offensive to most people.
The regulator also noted that the network had issued an apology to “redress the violations” and “convey our regret to all of our viewers” after the show. He said the apology was broadcast a total of 280 times between February 26, 2020 and April 9, 2020, at all hours of the day. The apology, broadcast in Hindi and English, read:
“DISCUSSION: The communications regulator, the Communications Office, after watching the September 6, 2019 episode of Poochta Hai Bharat, found that some offensive words were used on that show that may have annoyed viewers. Republic Media Network apologizes if those words hurt any particular religion or person. “
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