In a bizarre development, Times of India today used a photograph of noted economist Bibek Debroy in one news report on the arrest of Canada Canada-based businessman in an espionage case in in Delhi. After the matter was pointed out by Debroy himself on X (Twitter), TOI issued an apology on the microblogging platform and removed the image from the report.
The report titled ‘Canada-based bizman held in espionage case’, which said that CBI has arrested Canada-based businessman named Rahul Gangal in connection with a ‘defence espionage’ case, used an image of Bibek Debroy as the featured image.
After the report was posted on X by the Times of India with the image of Debroy, he spotted it and immediately responded to it. He said, “Times of India journalism. 🥵🥵 @TOIIndiaNews Why have you got my picture? I am not Canadian. Nor a businessman. Nor guilty of espionage.”
He then posted another tweet demanding an apology from the Times of India.
Times of India, do you have no sense? @TOIIndiaNews I expect an apology. pic.twitter.com/Mr3o524roq
— Bibek Debroy (@bibekdebroy) August 24, 2023
But there was no response from the media house after the mistake was pointed out, prompting Debroy to post another tweet, saying, “What happened @TOIIndiaNews ? People who make a honest mistake, say sorry. Dishonest ones are chary.”
Following this tweet, an apology was posted from the X handle of Times of India Editor, saying that the image was added ‘mistakenly’. The post said, “In the story “Canada-based bizman held in espionage case”, we mistakenly added picture of noted economist @bibekdebroy. We are sorry for the error.”
In the story "Canada-based bizman held in espionage case", we mistakenly added picture of noted economist @bibekdebroy. We are sorry for the error.
— TOI Editor (@TOIEditor) August 24, 2023
However, Bibek Debroy was not impressed with the response, calling it lame and tame. He replied to the TOI Editor’s tweet: ‘Sounds lame and tame, as if said grudgingly. But I guess, admitting an error, deliberate or inadvertent, doesn’t come easily to TOI.’
Sounds lame and tame, as if said grudgingly. But I guess, admitting an error, deliberate or inadvertent, doesn't come easily to TOI.
— Bibek Debroy (@bibekdebroy) August 24, 2023
He also reposted several tweets criticising the Times of India, some of which said he should sue the media house.
While the image now no longer appears in the report, it still appears in social media sites where the report was shared earlier, because social media platforms keep cache versions of news reports, and keep them even if the original report is changed.
Bibek Debroy is the chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, and also the Chairman of the Finance Ministry’s ‘Expert Committee for Infrastructure Classification and Financing Framework for Amrit Kaal’. Apart from being a noted economist, he has also translated several Sanskrit scriptures into English, including the unabridged version of the Mahabharata in a series of 10 volumes, Ramayana, Bhagavata Purana and others.
While Times of India may escape after the apology this time, when its TV channel Times Now wrongly used the image of a judge earlier, it cost it dearly. The Bombay High Court had ordered Times Now to pay Rs 100 crore for mistakenly showing the image of former Supreme Court Judge, Justice P B Sawant, in a report in September 2018. The mistake was caused by the fact that the name of the actual accused in a scam case, Calcutta high court judge, was similar to the name of the former SC judge.
Even though Times Now had apologised for the mistake, Bombay High Court had ordered it to pay the amount after Justice P B Sawant sued the channel, and the Supreme Court had refused to stay the order.
