Imposing a penalty of Rs 1,00,000 on Zee News for a report that falsely claimed {that a} truck driver providing namaz atop his automobile had induced site visitors jam on the Srinagar Jammu Highway, the News Broadcasters & Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) has issued a set of pointers to media shops for doing tales based mostly on data obtainable on social media.
All data, pictures, gathered from social media should be verified earlier than being broadcast or revealed, the media regulatory physique mentioned. Merely disclaiming that the picture or video is circulating on social media and that its authenticity can’t be verified wouldn’t be sufficient, NBDSA added.
The directives got here on February 18, 2026, in response to complaints filed by activist Indrajeet Ghorpade and three others over a Zee News report that falsely claimed {that a} site visitors jam on a freeway had been attributable to a Muslim truck driver providing namaz. Alt News fact-checked the claim proper after the bulletin had been aired. In actuality, site visitors had come to a halt because the Srinagar–Jammu freeway was blocked as a result of dangerous climate and a landslide. The driver himself was stranded within the jam and supplied his prayers whereas ready for the street to reopen.
According to the grievance filed on March 4, 2025, a phase in Zee News programme DNA on March 3 featured headlines like “Truck par namaz, highway kiya jam” and claimed that the driving force stopped in the course of the freeway with out regard for others, blocking one aspect whereas the other aspect remained clear for vehicular motion. Citing Alt News’s fact-check report, Ghorpade identified that Zee News had aired an unverified video, violating accuracy requirements and spiritual stereotyping pointers, amongst others.
A second grievance was filed by Utkarsh Mishra concerning the identical episode on March 6, 2025. Mishra highlighted impugned statements communalising the incident, breaching NBDSA’s stipulated pointers to forestall communal color in reporting crime/riots and code rules on neutrality, impartiality, and objectivity.
A 3rd compliant was lodged by Syed Kaab Rashidi on March 19, 2025, criticizing the report. According to his submission, Zee News amplified hate desiring to painting Muslims as irresponsible road-blockers, risking misinformation echo chambers.
The grievance quotes what the channel mentioned in its report, which is as follows:
जम्मूकश्मीर से हैरान कर देने वाला एक मामला सामने आया है दरअसल यहां पर हाईवे पर ट्रक की छत पर ड्राइवर ने नमाज अदा की जिससे वहां पर जाम की स्थिति हो गई और ट्रक ड्राइवर इस बात से बिल्कुल बेफिक्र नजर आया हाईवे पर ट्रक खड़ा है और उसके ऊपर ड्राइवर नमाज अदा करते हुए आपको नजर आ रहा होगा ड्राइवर की वजह से बीच हाईवे आएगी जाम लगा और गाड़ियों से उतर कर लोग उसे देखते नजर आए हाईवे की दूसरी तरफ आपको बिल्कुल खाली सड़क नजर क्योंकि उस पर इस ड्राइवर की तरह किसी ने नमाज अदा नहीं की वरना वहां भी स्थिति कुछ इस तरह होती बताया जा रहा है कि ड्राइवर गांदर बल के रामबन से ट्रक लेकर जा रहा था इस दौरान नमाज पढ़ने का समय हुआ तो उसने ट्रक को साइड में नहीं लगाकर बीच हाईवे नमाज अदा की
Translation: A surprising incident has come to gentle from Jammu and Kashmir. Here, on a freeway, a truck driver supplied namaz on the roof of his truck, which led to a site visitors jam, and the driving force appeared fully unconcerned about it. The truck was standing on the freeway, and the driving force may very well be seen praying on high of it. Because of him, site visitors bought caught in the course of the freeway, and other people bought out of their autos to look at. On the opposite aspect of the freeway, the street appeared empty as a result of nobody there was providing prayers like this driver; in any other case, the state of affairs there would have been related. It is being reported that the driving force was taking the truck from Ramban in Ganderbal, and when it was time for prayers, as an alternative of parking the truck to the aspect, he supplied namaz in the course of the freeway.
Zee News’ Defence
Zee News categorically denied the allegations as “false, misleading, and frivolous”. In its defence, the channel acknowledged that the protection stemmed from a broadly viral social media video which was aired as public-interest viral content material with out unbiased verification, explicitly disclosed on air by way of packaging, anchors, and reporter disclaimers, to take care of transparency and keep away from presenting it as a confirmed truth.
Zee additionally dismissed Alt News’s truth test as unsubstantiated, claiming that the linked tweet and video from Mohammad Zubair had failed to elucidate the reason for the site visitors jam. They claimed that the published video clearly depicted the Namaz-offering particular person with autos backed up behind and other people watching, justifying protection. No spiritual stereotyping, they claimed, occurred; reporting stayed impartial and was targeted on public response with out bias or sensationalism towards any group, totally complying with accuracy and moral requirements, and therefore no corrigendum was wanted, it maintained
The reader should observe that in its truth test, Alt News clearly offered extra footage displaying site visitors congestion even forward of the involved truck. It was amply clear from the report that the site visitors jam was not attributable to the driving force stopping for prayers. Rather, he, himself, was caught within the congestion.
Zee emphasised that there was no communal color or breach of neutrality/impartiality/objectivity rules. The channel highlighted quick deletion of the video upon authenticity doubts, underscoring proactive correction.
NBDSA Found Clear Violations
The NBDSA discovered clear violations of its rules in Zee News’s reporting. In the order, it famous that Zee admitted to basing the published on an unverified viral social media video, with the reporter disclosing no verification on air. This constituted a “clear lapse” and “serious” violation of the accuracy precept which required verification earlier than airing any information. According to the order, the complainants proved misrepresentation: the freeway jam was attributable to the climate and thus was not the driving force’s fault. Summarily, the airing of unverified claims amplified misinformation with communal undertones.
While imposing a penalty of Rs 1,00,000 on Zee News, the physique issued six binding pointers past the prevailing codes:
- All data, pictures and/or movies gathered from social media should be verified by the Member to be correct earlier than broadcasting/publishing.
- Wherever potential, all such data, pictures and/or movies ought to be corroborated by on-ground reporting and from different dependable sources, corresponding to eyewitness testimonies, police and authorities official accounts.
- As far as possible, the authenticity of the pictures and/or movies ought to be fact- checked for distortion/manipulation and/or for being AI-generated.
- Content shouldn’t be offered out of context as reporting data, pictures and movies, which, though genuine, however out of context might result in misinformation.
- Furthermore, any use of content material on social media whereas reporting any information regarding any navy operation, armed battle, inside disturbance, communal violence, public dysfunction, crime and different related conditions ought to be examined on the touchstone of “public interest” AND “accuracу”.
- Merely disclaiming that the picture or video is circulating on social media and that its authenticity can’t be verified won’t absolve the Member of their duties beneath the Code of Conduct.
Transgender Issue
On November 8, 2024, Zee Telugu News had falsely claimed {that a} group of trans-women arrested by Cyberabad Police for alleged public nuisance have been “fake” transgenders. In the report, pictures of trans ladies unrelated to this case have been used. Activist Inderjeet Ghorpade had moved the NBDSA on this subject as nicely. In his grievance, Ghorpade questioned how the channel obtained these pictures and why they have been used, provided that the report didn’t concern the personal residents featured in them. He additional acknowledged that the assertion that the trans-women have been “fake” was “transphobic, unverified, and inaccurate”.
With the information report, Ghorapde asserted that the Zee had violated a number of NBDSA guidelines together with, however not restricted to, these concerning accuracy, objectivity, neutrality, privateness, defamation, and pointers on reporting points regarding the LGBTQ+ group.
Zee, in its defence, denied and disputed all allegations, insinuations, and averments made within the grievance, and termed them “baseless, false, misleading, and frivolous”. It asserted that the impugned broadcast didn’t contravene any pointers, the code of ethics, or self-regulation rules.
The broadcaster asserted that this system highlighted “the distinction between those committing
inappropriate acts in public spaces and the larger transgender community” and that the content material of this system was derived solely from data supplied by native authorities and was corroborated by different information businesses.
Admitting to the error, nonetheless, Zee clarified that the caption accompanying the impugned initially contained the phrase “fake,” which was an inadvertent error. This error, they mentioned, was instantly rectified upon its being dropped at its consideration.
NBDSA’s Decision
The NBDSA, in its order, held that the images utilized by Zee in its programme have been faux, a incontrovertible fact that was not disproved by the broadcaster. The rationalization that these images have been supplied by the police had no documentary proof. “Moreover, the broadcaster itself accepted that it had corrected the error by removing the word “fake”. Consequently, a penalty of Rs. 1,00,000 was imposed and the pictures have been requested to be eliminated .
“These directions should be complied with within 7 days from the issuance of the Order”. NBDSA mentioned.
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