On March 4 last year, TV channel Zee News aired a report from the Ramban area of Jammu and Kashmir, accompanied by a video showing a truck driver offering namaz while standing on top of his vehicle. The report claimed that the driver had stopped his vehicle in the middle of the road to pray, causing a major traffic jam and inconvenience to commuters. Although no other mainstream media outlet picked up the story, the clips aired by Zee News were widely circulated across the country, reinforcing a narrative that Muslims create disruption by performing prayers in public spaces. Within a week, the fact-checking website Alt News debunked the claim. It clarified that severe traffic congestion had occurred in the Ramban stretch of the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway during those days due to bad weather and landslides that had damaged part of the road. With vehicles stranded for hours in queues stretching several kilometres, many travellers stepped out to attend to personal needs, including preparing food. As it was time for prayer, one of the drivers climbed atop his vehicle and offered namaz. The channel later used visuals of that moment, which had circulated on social media, to construct what turned out to be a fabricated narrative. The video itself clearly showed a long line of vehicles extending for kilometres ahead of the praying driver, but this context was omitted in the broadcast, indicating what critics described as a deliberate agenda.
Nearly a year after the false report began circulating widely, regulatory action has now followed. The News Broadcasters and Digital Standards Authority imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on Zee News for using unverified footage sourced from social media and airing a misleading report. The action was made possible due to the vigilance of the fact-checking platform Alt News, as well as the legal efforts of IT engineers Indrajeet Ghorpade, Utkarsh Mishra and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind lawyer Syed Kaab Rashidi, who pursued the matter before the regulator. The committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice A.K. Sikri, which issued the penalty order, also laid down six guidelines for media organisations. It said that information and videos sourced from social media must be verified for accuracy before being broadcast, and that channels should cross-check details with eyewitnesses and authorities. The panel said media outlets should examine whether visuals have been manipulated or generated using artificial intelligence, and even if the footage is genuine, they must not present it in a misleading context that could spread falsehoods. It added that when reporting visuals related to military movements, communal tensions or criminal incidents, broadcasters should prioritise public interest and accuracy. The committee also made a key point that simply displaying a disclaimer stating that the authenticity of a video has not been verified does not absolve media organisations of responsibility. Many mainstream media outlets appear to be working overtime to push the country towards becoming a global hub for fake news.
Over the past decade, Zee News alone has been linked to multiple instances of misinformation — from airing doctored videos to portray students at Jawaharlal Nehru University as raising anti-national slogans, to running absurd claims after demonetisation that newly issued ₹2,000 notes carried nano GPS chips that could be detected by satellites even if buried 120 metres underground. It is impossible to ignore the reality that the news fabricated by some media outlets with the aim of spreading hatred among the people against Muslims, Dalits, and tribal communities is becoming the fuel for blazing hate speeches and mob killings. The guidelines recently issued by the NBDSA are not meant for Zee News alone, but are intended to be followed by every news outlet, big or small, across the country. The complicated question is who will ensure that these norms are actually enforced.