On Tuesday, ANI editor-in-chief Smita Prakash vehemently denied claims that ANI had interviewed the same person to support demonetization and the recently passed Farm Bills.
A similar looking gentleman was seen in both videos. However, ANI’s Editor-in-Chief denied the claims telling Twitter users that they were ‘pedalling (sic) a lie’.
Earlier, several Twitter users were unconvinced by the farmers who were interviewed by ANI.
ANI has often been accused of being soft to the current dispensation. Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi had once labelled Smita Prakash ‘pliable’. ANI had also been called out while reporting the Article 370 abrogation in Jammu and Kashmir and a picture of a gentleman walking down the road had gone viral and he had come to be known as the ‘normalcy guy’.
He had said: “He (Modi) does not have the guts to come and sit in front of you. And I am coming here, you can ask me any question. You saw the prime minister's interview yesterday...matlab pliable journalist, she was asking questions and was even giving answers." This had led to a sharp rebuke from the Editors Guild of India who said: “The Guild believes journalists should claim no immunity from healthy and civilised criticism. “At the same time, labelling of journalists has emerged as a favourite tactic on the part of the establishment to discredit, delegitimise and intimidate them.”
ANI has often been accused of being close to the current dispensation. For example, they were the only ones present during Fadnavis’ early morning oath ceremony. Even Prasar Bharti wasn’t present.
