'The Hindu' apologizes after PR Agency inserts misleading remarks in Kerala CM’s interview
New Delhi: The Hindu newspaper has expressed regret over the controversial remarks in the interview of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The publication clarified that the reference to Malappuram was inserted by a PR agency and was not part of the interview conducted by its journalist, Shobhana Nair.
According to the statement issued by The Hindu, a PR agency named Kaizen had approached them, offering the opportunity to interview the Chief Minister. However, the remarks in question, including references to gold smuggling and claims that the money was used for anti-national activities, were not stated by the Chief Minister but were written by the agency.
The newspaper's clarification follows an investigation conducted after the interview stirred controversy and drew criticism from various quarters. In its explanation, The Hindu admitted to a lapse in editorial oversight and offered an unconditional apology.
The clarification was prompted by a letter from the Chief Minister’s office to the editor of The Hindu, seeking a correction and explanation for the erroneous report. The Chief Minister’s office had stressed that no region or specific words like ‘anti-national’ were mentioned during the interview. The office expressed concerns that the published report misrepresented the Chief Minister’s statements, causing unnecessary controversy and misinterpretation.
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MediaOne TV Facebook page restored after block linked to ‘government request’
Kochi: The official Facebook page of Malayalam news channel MediaOne TV has been restored after being blocked without prior notice, the broadcaster said on Wednesday.
The channel was quoted by Maktoob as saying that the restriction was lifted automatically, with Meta Platforms informing it that the action had been taken following a “government request” which has now expired or been reversed.
The development came shortly after the channel approached the Kerala High Court challenging the blocking of its page, terming it arbitrary and in violation of legal provisions and judicial precedents. The High Court had issued notice to Meta via email hours before the restriction was withdrawn.
In its petition, the channel said access to its Facebook page had been restricted for users in India without citing any specific content or alleged violation. It contended that while individual posts may be taken down under applicable a rule, blocking an entire page goes beyond the scope of such measures.
The incident followed an earlier action taken against the channel in 2022, when the Ministry of Information and transmitting prohibited it from transmitting. It cited national security concerns regarding the Ministry of Home Affairs' refusal of security clearance.
The Supreme Court of India in April 2023 set aside the ban, observing that national security claims cannot be made without substantive basis and that criticism of government policies does not render a media outlet anti-national.
