Media vs Media: Times Now launches campaign against NDTV over Nirbhaya docu broadcast

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The News Minute | March 3, 2015 | 08:01 pm IST

India's Daughter, a documentary made by BBC, interviews Mukesh Singh, one of the men convicted of the brutal Delhi gang rape of a physiotherapy student in 2012.

Singh's statements in the documentary, which is slated to be aired by BBC Four on its Storyville programme on Sunday, have been creating ripples, for it exposes the mindset of a rapist. The Telegraph reports that Mukesh Singh says: “A decent girl won't roam around at 9 o'clock at night. A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy. Boy and girl are not equal. Housework and housekeeping is for girls, not roaming in discos and bars at night doing wrong things, wearing wrong clothes. About 20 per cent of girls are good.”

NDTV, along with BBC and several other international channels, will broadcast the documentary on March 8, which is the International Women's Day.

However, NDTV's competitor Times Now has started a campaign condemning NDTV and BBC, calling for the broadcast of the programme be stopped.

On its flagship show Newshour and on social media, Times Now has raised several questions on social media asking how could the 'Indian channel' give a 'platform' to a rapist and states that their action is 'an ultimate insult to Nirbhaya!'

In a series of tweets posted on Tuesday, Times Now throws several accusatory remarks at NDTV, without naming them even once. But later in the Newshour, Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami named NDTV and called it 'Voyeuristic' and said this was 'a desperate way to get TRPs'.

Times Now insists that the channel 'does not believe in interviewing rapists.'

BBC and Indian news channel interview Nirbhaya's most brutal rapist. Destroying all norms of journalism? #NirbhayaInsulted — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 3, 2015

Giving rapist a platform, an ultimate insult to Nirbhaya! Interviewing rapist, journalism?#NirbhayaInsulted — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 3, 2015

Why promote and propagate the views of a rapist? Can you allow this to happen? #NirbhayaInsulted pic.twitter.com/okLBMvKSiV — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 3, 2015

In the name of exposing a rapist can you fall so low? An Indian news channel plans to air the documentary of Mukesh Singh #NirbhayaInsulted — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 3, 2015

Times Now also reports that it is not clear whether the makers of the documentary got official permission to interview Singh and that the Delhi Police have registered an FIR under Section 509 & 504 of IPC in connection with the interview.

How did journalists get permission to interview a rapist? #NirbhayaInsulted pic.twitter.com/6ndz78FjM4 — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 3, 2015

Times Now also says that Nirbhaya's mother has said that Singh has committed a heinous crime and that 'What he said has no significance for us'. "Why air rapist's interview?" is what Nirbhaya's family have asked, adds the channel.

"Why air rapist's interview?" asks Nirbhaya's family #NirbhayaInsulted — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 3, 2015

He is a convict of a heinous crime. What he said has no significance for us: Nirbhaya's mother #NirbhayaInsultedhttps://t.co/64kjfpzI1V — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 3, 2015

However, NDTV in a report states that 'Nirbhaya's parents have spoken extensively in this documentary, which exposes the disgraceful attitude of the rapists and those who surround them' and that 'This is a film that fights for and remembers Nirbhaya - and it honours the wishes of her parents who have seen the film.'

Also Read: I fear 'India's Daughter' will become a global campaign that will do damage: Kavita Krishnan

The report adds that 'The director has obtained all legal clearances needed from the authorities.'

According to a description on the BBC website, India's Daughter 'examines the values and mindsets of the rapists, and interviews the two lawyers who defended the men convicted of Jyoti's rape and murder'.

Update - On Tuesday night, the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry asked news channels not to air the BBC documentary.

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Read: Should 'India's Daughter' documentary on Delhi gang rape be aired? NDTV explains its stand