The Rashtrapati Bhavan has slammed Rajdeep Sardesai and the India Today Group for Spreading Fake News. In a sharply worded letter, the Indian President Office has condemned the actions of the Indian Today Group News channel to spread lies about the President. The President Office is reviewing engagement with India Today Group. A section of journalists, including Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai, a prominent representative of India Today as well as many more from the group reacted to this announcement on Twitter by alleging that the portrait was not that of Netaji but actor Prosenjit Chatterjee.
The Letter said:
I am writing to you with reference to a needless and avoidable – rather shameful – controversy in which a section of journalists, including some from the India Today group, dragged the Rashtrapati Bhavan for motives that are not clear to us.
On January 23, the Hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, unveiled a portrait of Subhas Chandra Bose at Rashtrapati Bhavan as part of Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary celebrations. A section of journalists, including Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai, a prominent representative of India Today as well as many more from the group headed by you, reacted to this announcement on Twitter by alleging that the portrait was not that of Netaji but of actor Prosenjit Chatterjee.
The regrettable part is that senior journalists of your Group did not bother to check the facts. Before making a serious claim like this, they could have checked with any member of Netaji’s family (for example, Mr C. K. Bose, who clarified on Twitter that the portrait was indeed of the great leader himself), or with the actor himself (who too put the record straight) as well as with the Rashtrapati Bhavan itself.
They did not do any of the basic fact checks, and joined the ranks with those who were throwing wild accusations for political gains. In gleefully ridiculing this high Constitutional office, they not only discredited their professional ethics but also cast a shadow on the office of the President of India.
You will agree that such irresponsible and juvenile behaviour compromises the dignity of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
That this was not a momentary lapse of judgement or a forgivable slip of pen was made amply apparent when the facts made themselves clear. These journalists merely deleted their tweets, or made a clarification – without owning up their blunder, much less apologising for it.
I believe this is unpardonable conduct, for the individuals involved as well as for the platform from which they seek to draw legitimacy. This episode has caused deep distress at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and we are forced to review our engagements with the India Today group.
