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Sputnik International
Top Story
December 23, 2020
LONDON: Britain’s media regulator Ofcom has imposed a £20,000 (Rs4.3 million) financial penalty on Republic Bharat TV (Worldview Media Network Limited) in the UK for serious broadcasting breaches after the channel aired hate speech against the people of Pakistan in a show conducted by controversial anchor Arnab Goswami.
The Ofcom announced on Tuesday that it has fined Republic TV for using “highly offensive hate speech against Pakistani people” over an episode of Poochta Hai Bharat, hosted by Goswani, in which seriously offensive terms such as “beggars”, “thieves”, “backward”, “Paki”, “donkeys” were used for Pakistanis.
The Republic Bharat channel broadcasts rolling news and current affairs to the Hindi speaking community in the UK like dozens of Indian and Pakistani news and entertainment channels.
Arnab Goswami
The fine has been levied for the channel s daily current affairs discussion programme Poochta Hai Bharat presented by Arnab Goswami and telecasted on Sept. 6, 2019
Republic Bharat, the Hindi news channel arm of Republic TV, was on Tuesday fined £20,000 approximately ₹19 lakh by the United Kingdom’s communications regulator Office of Communications (Ofcom) for broadcasting content that involved “offensive language”, “uncontextualised hate speech” and “ abusive or derogatory treatment of individuals, groups, religions or communities”.
The channel has also been asked to air an apology.
The fine was levied with reference to the channel’s daily current affairs discussion programme
Poochta Hai Bharat, presented by Arnab Goswami on September 6, 2019.
: Tuesday, December 22, 2020, 11:14 PM IST
Arnab Goswami s programme Poochta Hai Bharat fined 20,000 pounds by UK communications regulator Ofcom
Arnab Goswami
File Photo
United Kingdom s communications regulator Ofcom has on Tuesday imposed a fine of 20,000 pounds (approximately Rs 19.73 lakh) on Worldview Media Network Limited, which operates Republic Bharat in UK, for failing to comply with its broadcasting rules.
Citing an episode of the channel s show,
Poochta Hai Bharat, which aired on September 6 last year, Ofcom said that the programme contained uncontextualised hate speech in breach of its broadcasting rules. Ofcom has imposed a sanction on the Licensee of a financial penalty of £20,000, a direction to broadcast a statement of Ofcomâs findings on a date and in a form to be determined by Ofcom, and a direction not to repeat the programme, the communications regulator said in a release.
Arnab Goswami’s channel fined £20,000 in UK for airing hate speech against Pakistanis
By
Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami. AFP/File
Republic Bharat channel broadcasts rolling news and current affairs to the Hindi speaking community in the UK
Controversial episode of the show
Poochta Hai Bharat was broadcast on 22 July, 2019
Arnab Goswami and his three Indian guests leveled serious accusations against Pakistanis during the episode
Material aired on Republic TV posed a risk of harm to the Pakistani community in the UK
Britain’s media regulator Ofcom has imposed a heavy fine of £20,000 on Republic Bharat TV (Worldview Media Network Limited) in the UK for serious broadcast breaches.