The Press Council of India has censured Vijaya Karnataka newspaper for a hate speech article it published on March 28, 2020, titled “All Those Who Have Died from Corona Are From The Same Community – Why Do They Still Come Together In The Name of Prayers?” (ಸತ್ತವರೆಲ್ಲ ಒಂದೇ ಸಮುದಾಯದವರು, ಈಗಲೂ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನೆ ಹೆಸರಲ್ಲಿ ಗುಂಪು ಸೇರುವುದೇಕೆ?) In its Order dated February 28, 2023, the PCI held the newspaper accountable for violating the Norms of Journalistic Conduct and targeting a particular community.
The article attempted to state that all persons who died from Corona are from the Muslim community, and while Hindus and Christians have respected the curfew, this particular community is still offering namaz. The article was an attempt to blame the Muslim community for the spread of COVID-19.
The Campaign Against Hate Speech issued a notice to Vijaya Karnataka, and then filed a complaint to the PCI on May 11, 2020, stating that the article was in violation of the PCI’s Norms of Journalistic Conduct, and also constituted several offenses under the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The Campaign sought an inquiry to be initiated against Vijaya Karnataka and for a censure to be issued against them.
The PCI initiated an inquiry and issued notices on the complaint, after which Vijaya Karnataka failed to appear. The PCI then issued a bailable warrant of arrest against Vijaya Karnataka, after which they appeared before the PCI Committee.
The Inquiry Committee rejected Vijaya Karnataka’s contention that the article does not mention the name of any particular community, and held that a bare reading of the article shows that it is targeting Muslims. The Committee held that Vijaya Karnataka has tried to spread misinformation during the time of the pandemic and has targeted the Muslim community, and thus its conduct is in violation of the Norms of Journalistic Conduct as also the advisory of the PCI to disseminate only verified news.
The Committee advised PCI to severely censure Vijaya Karnataka. The PCI accepted these reasons and the finding, and has accordingly censured Vijaya Karnataka.
The Campaign Against Hate Speech has previously led to the censure of the Star of Mysore newspaper by PCI, and complaints against other news agencies have resulted in fines, reprimands, and apologies. The campaign believes in holding the media accountable to democratic and constitutional principles in news coverage.
The campaign welcomes the order with great hope and belief that it will restrain and deter newspapers from publishing communal, divisive, hateful articles in the name of publishing the news. The campaign hopes that the Constitutional promise of fraternity, secularism, and equality will be upheld by the media.
