Seema Mustafa, President of the Editors Guild of India
The Editors Guild of India said in a statement that some national news channels are deliberately creating circumstances that target vulnerable communities. The organisation criticised the irresponsible conduct of spewing hatred towards these communities and their beliefs.
EGI pointed out that the riot in Kanpur and the offensive remarks by ruling party spokespersons have led to an unprecedented trenchant reaction from many countries. Many Muslim nations have questioned India's commitment to human rights and freedom of religion. Members of two communities in Kanpur engaged in brick batting and hurled bombs in protest against the remarks against Prophet Muhammad by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
The Guild said the comments made by BJP representatives on TV caused "unnecessary embarrassment" to the country. Such consequences could have been avoided if the TV outlets had been mindful of India's commitment to secularism.
The statement noted that the journalistic ethics and guidelines that the Press Council of India has issued to handle a volatile communal situation were ignored.
The non-partisan organisation further said these news channels are driven by the desire to increase viewership and profit. "They were seemingly inspired by the values of Radio Rwanda whose incendiary broadcast caused a genocide in the African nation".
The Editors Guild of India asked news channels to take a pause and analyse their actions. The organisation of journalists stated that the TV outlets have given "legitimacy to divisive and toxic voices", It made "national discourse coarse and the gap between communities unbridgeable".
The Guild called on broadcaster and journalist bodies to provide stricter vigilance to prevent similar incidents from taking place in the future. The statement added that the media is a place to strengthen the Constitution and the law and not break it through sheer irresponsibility and absence of accountability.