New Delhi Television (NDTV) on Wednesday denied reports of their Mumbai Bureau Chief being asked by the Editor in Chief Sanjay Pugalia to "create a ruckus or change the narrative" at press conference of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Mumbai last month.
"A false story aimed at questioning NDTV's credibility has come out in a media publication. NDTV strongly denies these malicious accusations aimed at damaging our reputation and credibility. As a responsible media house, our senior editors frequently speak with reporters to guide/advise/discuss stories. At no point has anyone been asked to "create a ruckus or change the narrative" at a press conference as maliciously alleged. As always, NDTV will continue to report all stories in an objective, independent and unbiased manner," NDTV said in its statement.
A report by digital portal newslaundry, citing sources inside the channel, had reported that the Editor had pressurised the channel's Mumbai bureau chief for asking troubling questions to Gandhi, which led to his resignation.
What did Newslaundry report say?
Sohit Mishra, the Mumbai bureau chief of NDTV, stepped down from the media organisation after he faced pressure from NDTV's Editor-in-Chief, Sanjay Pugalia, to disrupt a press conference hosted by the former Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, the newslaundry had reported. The alleged instructions encompassed causing commotion at the event and attempting to manipulate the narrative.
It's worth noting that Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia joined NDTV after the media house was acquired by Gautam Adani's AMG Media Network.
Sources from within NDTV disclosed to newslaundry that Pugalia instructed Mishra to raise questions with Rahul Gandhi about his supposed preference for foreign media, inquire about his stance on the "anti-national narrative," and question his perceived failure to promote the alleged corruption story related to the Rafale deal, as reported by Newslaundry.
Mishra, who had been part of the NDTV team for seven years, reportedly refused to comply with these directives and subsequently submitted his resignation. While he was initially asked to serve a one-month notice period, his resignation was abruptly made effective immediately, and his final working day at NDTV was moved up to September 8, just one week into the notice period.
