Days after The Wire retracted its Fake stories on Tek Fog and Meta targeting the BJP, the National Union of Journalists- India NUJ(I) has condemned the portal for publishing fake stories, and slammed press organisations for supporting the portal. The NUJ(I) issued a statement on 3rd November 2022 and called out various press organizations for maintaining convenient silence over the faults of ‘The Wire’ and issuing prompt statements against the police inquiry in ‘The Wire-Meta Story’. The statement by NUJ-I came after a large number of media and journalist bodies issued statements condemning the police for the searches at The Wire office and the homes of its editors.
The organisation stated that while press organisations and guilds remained silent on The Wire forging documents in its Meta story, these groups were prompt to condemn the police investigation after an FIR was filed against the portal. It is notable that a lot of liberal and left-leaning media houses have reported the whole Meta versus The Wire episode in a manner that may suit the stand of the serial fake news-peddling propaganda website ‘The Wire’, and left-wing media organisations have issued statements defending the portal.
NUJ(I) President Ras Bihari has signed the statement and it is also published on the social media handles of the organization. The statement says, “The NUJI) represents the Press fraternity of India, it is as much our bounded duty to strive to maintain the freedom of the press as it is our duty to be vigilant against fraudulent and fake news reporting. It is in this regard that the timing of statements issued by certain press associations and guilds has disturbed our conscience. If the various press organizations and the guilds had been prompt in condemning The Wire reports, which were based on forged and fabricated documents, then their statements after the Delhi Police inquiry would have carried an imprint of fairness. It is pertinent to reiterate that in addition to the forgery and fabrication of documents, The Wire’s reports are also a classic example of a lack of journalistic diligence and a willful abdication of responsibility.”
It is further said in the statement, “However, the fact is that these press associations and guilds maintained a studied silence in the face of undeniable forgery that formed the core of The Wire reports. In contrast, their promptness in issuing a statement against the police inquiry, that seeks to trace the genesis of the forgery, makes these associations and guilds seem like partisan players. It would bode well for all responsible press organizations and guilds to collectively exercise restraint whilst seeking to interfere in the present case, which noticeably lays on a shaky edifice of fraud and fabrication. As journalistic organizations, it is our primary responsibility to ensure that the truth, for whatever purpose, must not be suppressed. Premature endorsements will not only prejudice investigations that seek to unearth the veracity of news reports but set a grave precedent that will imperil Journalistic ethics and transparency. In a case where ‘The Wire’ has itself demanded an investigation by leveling allegations of forgery against its own team member, as responsible press organizations and guilds our stand cannot be partisan.”
NUJ (I) statement concluded with a remark that said, “The freedom of the press is sacrosanct and all attempts must be made to resist any move to muzzle the press. However, those who are serial fake news peddlers should not be given the leeway to utilize the card of freedom of the press to escape the consequences of their deliberate actions over months and years. The NUJ(I) calls the law enforcement authorities to undertake a swift inquiry and unearth the entire sequence of fraud and forgery in The Wire-Meta story and bring the true facts to the public domain. We also call upon the members of our fraternity to apply the same standards upon ourselves that we seek to impose on others.”
The controversy is being investigated by the Delhi police as on October 29, BJP’s Amit Malviya filed a complaint with Delhi Police against The Wire, its editors, and reporters and said they published a series of stories with the intent to tarnish his reputation. Based on his complaint, an FIR was registered under Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery with the purpose of cheating), 469 (forgery for harming reputation), 471 (using forged document), 500 (defamation), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. The FIR was lodged after The Wire took down Meta stories that claimed Malviya was able to take down Instagram posts critical to the government, no questions asked.
It is notable that the Editors Guild had issued a statement yesterday criticising the police for conducting a search at the Wire office and the homes of its editors in relation to the FIR filed against them on the complaint of Malviya. Earlier, the Guild had withdrawn its reference to the Tek Fog story made in a statement earlier this year, where they had demanded a Supreme Court probe on what has been proved to be fake now.
PCI along with Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Association, Working News Cameraman Association, Indian Journalist Union, Digipub News India Foundation and KUWJ express concern over searches conducted by Delhi Police at the Wire Editors and reporter houses. pic.twitter.com/CATcWpKH00
— Press Club of India (@PCITweets) November 2, 2022
The Press Club of India, along with the Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Association, Working News Cameraman Association, Indian Journalist Union, Digipub News India Foundation and KUWJ also issued a statement expressing concern over the police searches. Digipub had already issued an individual statement a day before. Similarly, another leftist body Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC) also voiced concern over the police action against The Wire.
Other organisations that came in the support include The National Alliance of Journalists (NAJ), Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists (BUJ), The Committee to Protect Journalists- Asia, The Network of Women in Media India, Mumbai Press Club, International Press Institute, and others.
Apart from the groups, a large number of left-liberal journalists have also come in the support of The Wire.
All of them are broadly making the same point, that The Wire committed a mistake and they have apologised for it, therefore there should not be any police action against the portal. Some even claimed that The Wire was actually the victim as they were misled by false information. But, all of them chose to ignore that the FIR was filed not because of a ‘journalistic mistake’, but for forgery of documents, cheating, criminal conspiracy and other such serious criminal charges. The Wire used forged documents to attack BJP in the Meta story, and therefore mere apology is not sufficient, police need to find out who had forged the documents and why.
