Tag: Arnab Goswami

  • ‘Fifth Floor wala’: Hamid Mir takes a dig at Arnab Goswami ahead of Pak vs India match

    ‘Fifth Floor wala’: Hamid Mir takes a dig at Arnab Goswami ahead of Pak vs India match

    Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir has trolled controversial Indian journalist Arnab Goswami, who is also known for his misreporting.

    Taking to Twitter Mir wrote: “Arrrey… Jasoos Kabootar… and who is this Indian anchor?…. 5th floor wala?”

    The advertisement by Digi Khata, has trolled Indian media citing Indian Media’s misreporting over arresting a Pakistani pigeon 2015 terming it as a Pakistani spy.

    Meanwhile, Goswami was earlier trolled on social media when he lied about the presence of the Pakistan Army officers in Kabul Serena to fight in Panjshir Valley.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan will open their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign against arch-rivals India in Dubai (Sunday) on October 24.

  • Arnab Goswami’s lie about Pak army backfires, becomes Twitter meme

    Arnab Goswami’s lie about Pak army backfires, becomes Twitter meme

    Indian journalist Arnab Goswami was once again caught spreading fake news about Pakistan but was called out for it by his Pakistani guest. Goswami lied about the presence of the Pakistan Army officers in Kabul Serena to fight in Panjshir Valley.

    Goswami claimed that the Pakistan Army officers were staying on the fifth floor of the Serena Hotel in Kabul but did not know that Kabul Serena only has two floors above ground level.

    In his programme ‘The Debate’ on Republic World TV last week, Goswami had invited an Indian analyst as well as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson Abdul Samad Yaqoob, to represent Pakistan, in a discussion on what the channel termed a “big split” within the Taliban.

    Goswami addressed Yaqoob and said: “You go and check today … on the fifth floor of the Serena Hotel, I am telling you, please check, the fifth floor of the Serena Hotel in Kabul, how many Pakistani army officers are there?”

    “I am giving you. [Do] you want more details? I’ll tell you which room, or is this enough? [On the] fifth floor of the Serena Hotel, Kabul, how many Pakistani officers are there. Okay? I can also tell you what they ordered for dinner, so don’t question my intelligence sources.”

    Yaqoob countered Goswami’s claims and said, “What I got to know from my sources [is that] Serena has only two floors. There are no third, fourth or fifth floors.”

    The Indian anchor had no logical answer and sought to draw attention away from his faux pas. 

    Netizens from around the world called out Goswami for making false claims, making him a Twitter meme once again.

    A Twitter user from India wrote, “Dear #ArnabGoswami this is Sarena hotel Kabul I am still unable to find out [the] fifth floor?”

    https://twitter.com/Dilsedesh/status/1439528467465322498

    Indian journalist, Kanishka Raj Singh tweeted, “Finding information on the fifth floor of a building that has only two floors requires great journalism and brilliant sourcing.”

    Journalist Om Thanvi tweeted, “According-to-sources journalism and its own laughter!”

    Chinese journalist Shen Shiwei too exposed Goswami’s claims by sharing images of the hotel.

    One user rotated a picture of the hotel and mused that Goswami was perhaps counting its floors vertically.

    PTI spokesperson too tweeted a picture with “Arnab’s Intelligence Source” as its caption.

  • Goswami WhatsApp chat proves Modi used Balakot strikes to gain popularity: PM

    Goswami WhatsApp chat proves Modi used Balakot strikes to gain popularity: PM

    Prime Minister Imran Khan said the leaked WhatsApp conversation between Indian journalist Arnab Goswami and another Indian senior media official proved that the Indian government led by Narendra Modi used the Balakot strikes for electoral gains.

    Imran was referring to WhatsApp conversations between Goswami and Pratho Dasgupta — the incarcerated head of ratings company Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC).

    According to the conversation that was a part of a chargesheet filed against Goswami in a ratings scam, the firebrand anchor knew about the strikes three days before the Indian air force bombed an alleged militant camp inside the Pakistani territory.

    In the conversation on Feb 23, 2019, Goswami said that ‘something big will happen’ and three days later, the Indian jets carried out a strike in Pakistan, bringing the two countries on the brink of a full-fledged war.

    The conversation had also suggested that the strikes were conducted to boost ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) popularity ahead of the national elections.

    In a comment on this conversation, PM Imran Khan made a series of tweet. He recalled that in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in 2019, he had told the international community that the ruling BJP had “used the Balakot crisis for domestic electoral gains”.

    “Latest revelations from communication of an Indian journalist, known for his warmongering, reveal the unholy nexus between the Modi govt & Indian media,” he said, referring to Goswami having access to the “confidential information”.

    “Now India’s own media has revealed the dirty nexus that is pushing our nuclearised region to the brink of a conflict it cannot afford,” the premier said.

    “I want to reiterate that my government will continue to expose India’s belligerent designs towards Pakistan and Modi government’s fascism. Int(ernational) community must stop India from its reckless, militarist agenda before the Modi government’s brinkmanship pushes our region into a conflict it cannot control.”

    Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that India stood further exposed with the leaked chats revealing a “staggering new low”.

    The Foreign Office issued a statement on the issue as well. It said the anchorperson knowing the plan to attack Pakistan “further exposed India’s sinister designs and vindicated Pakistan’s long-held position”.

    In a statement on Sunday, the FO said: “The latest revelations further confirm… [that] BJP government stages ‘false-flag’ operations; maligns Pakistan with terrorism-related allegations; stokes hyper-nationalism in the country; claims to have launched so-called ‘surgical strike[s]’; and then deviously manipulates national sentiment in its bid to win elections.”

    REPUBLIC TV RESPONDS TO PAKISTAN STATEMENTS:

    Meanwhile, Republic TV issued a statement, rejecting the “allegations against Goswami” by the Pakistan government.

    “Goswami…as India’s leading journalist exposed every sinister design…. of the government of Pakistan and ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence),” it said in response to the statements by the Pakistani officials. It also termed these statements as part of “deep conspiracy” to target Arnab Goswami.

    “The desperations with which government of Pakistan has attacked the Republic Media Network in an open forum today also lays bare the involvement of anti-India forces in the conspiracy,” it added.

    The statement also took a potshot at Congress, saying the opposition party should stop working in tandem with the government of Pakistan to spread lies against India’s interests.

  • Pro-Modi anchor knew about ‘highly confidential’ Balakot strikes in advance

    Pro-Modi anchor knew about ‘highly confidential’ Balakot strikes in advance

    Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami knew about the Balakot strikes three days before the Indian air force bombed an alleged militant camp inside the Pakistani territory, revealed a Whatsapp chat between Goswami and Partho Dasgupta, the former head of India’s Broadcast Audience Research Council (BRAC).

    According to Indian media reports, the purported chat is mentioned in a transcript that is part of a 3,400-page supplementary chargesheet filed by the Mumbai Police in their investigation into the alleged Television Ratings Point scam.

    In the conversation on Feb 23, 2019, Goswami said that ‘something big will happen’ and three days later, the IAF planes carried out a strike in Pakistan, bringing the two countries on the brink of a full-fledged war. The conversation also suggested that the strikes were conducted to boost ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) popularity ahead of the national elections.

    There are also many instances in the transcripts that show Goswami boasting about his proximity to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. There is another instance where he says that “all the ministers are with us”, reported The Hindu.

    In other conversations, Goswami also complained about other news channels getting better ratings than his (Republic TV) and Dasgupta assures him that necessary steps will be taken to “clean the data”, it reported.

    Following the release of these Whatsapp conversations, #ArnabGoswamiExposed started trending on Twitter, with Indian users demanding accountability of those involved in the episode.

  • UK media regulator fines Indian channel over hate speech against Pakistan

    UK media regulator fines Indian channel over hate speech against Pakistan

    The Office of Communication (OfCom), that regulates communication services in the United Kingdom, has directed India’s Republic Bharat TV to pay a fine of £20,000 over a show that propagated hate speech against Pakistan.

    According to the regulator, the show ‘Poochta Hai Bharat’ in an episode breached Ofcom Broadcasting Code with its comments and content.

    The programme was also “potentially offensive” and in violation of the Broadcasters’ Code, it said in the order issued earlier this year.

    “During a current affairs discussion programme the presenter and some of his guests made several
    statements which amounted to hate speech against, and derogatory and abusive treatment of, Pakistani people,” the watchdog had said in its order.

    “The content was also potentially offensive and was not sufficiently justified by the context. In breach of Rules 3.2, 3.3 and 2.3 of the Broadcasting Code. Due to the serious nature of these breaches we are considering imposing a statutory sanction,” as per the order issued in Feb 2020.

    During the episode aired on Sept 6, 2019, statements made by a “retired major general from the Indian Army, which clearly threatened that the Indian military would attack Pakistani civilians in their homes, were an expression of hatred and desire to kill by a figure of authority”.

    “In our view, the broadcast of these statements also promoted hatred and intolerance towards Pakistani people,” said Ofcom.

    The decision was taken despite an apology which was broadcast by Republic Bharat in English and Hindi for a total of 280 times. In addition to the fine, Ofcom also directed the operator not to repeat the programme.

    “Given that the Licensee has recorded a number of breaches within a short time, Ofcom is requesting that the Licensee attend a meeting to discuss its compliance arrangements,” it added.

  • Mumbai police detain Republic TV founder Arnab Goswami in suicide case

    Mumbai police detain Republic TV founder Arnab Goswami in suicide case

    Mumbai police have arrested Arnab Goswami, founder of Republic TV, for his alleged role in a two-year-old suicide case, prompting journalists to call this an assault on media freedom.

    Reports in India media stated the controversial anchorperson was detained for investigation over his alleged role in the death of an architect who designed his studio. Anvay Naik took his life in 2018 and his wife accused Goswami of not paying his fee.

    Goswami and Republic TV network deny the allegation.

    As the police team arrested Goswami from his house, videos making rounds on social media showed scuffles taking place between Goswami and the police team. The Republic TV also claimed that the police “manhandled” Goswami’s family members.

    The arrest of the Indian journalist known for his aggressive style of questioning has been denounced by the media professionals, who termed it an attack on press freedom.

    They said they would speak up for Arnab Goswami despite the fact that the latter failed to do so when his peers were targetted by the government.

    The Editors Guild of India, a body of India’s editorial leaders, also came forward to defend the journalist.

    Another journalist expressed concerns over the increase in attacks on press freedom.

  • VIDEO: India’s infamous journalist Arnab Goswami trolled on flight

    VIDEO: India’s infamous journalist Arnab Goswami trolled on flight

    Remember the Indian journalist Arnab Goswami who reported that Hamza Ali Abbasi is an ISI agent? And the guy whose name Altaf Hussain got wrong? The same guy was recently trolled by Indian stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on an IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Lucknow.

    Goswami is known for his loudness and heckling of guests on his current affairs programme. Comedian Kunal Kamra first tweeted that he met Arnab Goswami on a flight and gave him a monologue about his ‘journalism’.

    “All he did was call me mentally unstable & after some time I had no choice but to return to my seat,” wrote Kamra.

    Kamra later posted a video where he is calling Goswami a ‘coward’ and asks him to respond to questions about a Dalit student, Rohit Vermula. Goswami had vilified Rohit after false cases were registered against him. Rohit committed suicide.

    When Kamra accosted Goswami, he pretended to watch a video on his laptop and turned a blind eye to Kamra’s questioning.

    Following their interaction, IndiGo barred Kamra from flying with them for six months.

    “In light of the recent incident on board 6E 5317 from Mumbai to Lucknow, we wish to inform that we are suspending Mr. Kunal Kamra from flying with IndiGo for a period of six months, as his conduct onboard was unacceptable behaviour. Hereby, we wish to advise our passengers to refrain from indulging in personal slander whilst onboard, as this can potentially compromise the safety of fellow passengers,” announced IndiGo on Twitter.

    However, instead of feeling bad about it, Kamra thanked IndiGo.

    Kamra also issued an official statement on the matter.

    “Today I met Arnab Goswami in a flight to Lucknow (6E 5317) and politely asked him to have a conversation. At first, he pretended to be on a phone call. I waited for his so-called phone call to get over. Seatbelt signs were off at this time. I gave him a monologue about what I felt about his “journalism”. He refused to answer any questions, he called me ‘mentally unstable’.The stewardess asked me to take my seat as the seatbelt signs had just come on. Post take-off, when the seatbelt signs were off again, I approached him again and asked him if I could have his attention. He said he is watching something, and he doesn’t want to talk. So then I did exactly what Republic TV journalists do to people in their private/public spaces, and I don’t regret it. I am not sorry for it. The moment the stewardess asked me to move, I went back to my seat in 20 seconds. I apologised to each crew member personally and to both the pilots, by staying back till the end, for any inconvenience that I might have caused during the flight. I don’t think I did anything wrong/criminal. Don’t let this be about my bravado. Let us all take a moment and fondly remember a smiling Rohith vemulaI do apologise to every passenger except one”.