The Network of Women in Media, India unequivocally condemns the reckless and unprofessional conduct of numerous Indian television news channels and high-profile journalists in their coverage of “Operation Sindoor”, launched on 7 May 2025 in the aftermath of the tragic killing of 26 tourists at Pahalgam in Kashmir on 22 April, and the India-Pakistan border tensions that followed.
Instead of providing accurate and responsible reporting of facts, these outlets put out sensational stories, misinformation, unverified claims and deep fakes. This has eroded public trust in the Indian media and hurt the country’s credibility.
Some of the failures of the TV media are as follows:
Failure to Verify and Fact-Check
Indian TV stations repeatedly aired mislabelled and recycled footage — from older wartime clips to AI-generated videos — which they then presented as evidence of Operation Sindoor’s “success”. Anchors and reporters did not do basic fact-checking, even when such misinformation was publicly debunked by the Fact Check Unit of the Government of India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) as well as independent fact-checkers (such as Mohammad Zubair of Alt News).
Sensationalism and Jingoism
Prime-time debates during Operation Sindoor resembled a spectacle more than informative news programmes. Video game-like graphics and dramatised skirmishes accompanied by blaring sirens in the TV studios made the coverage worse. Broadcast media aired speculation about military objectives and diplomatic stakes, while some anchors went so far as to celebrate India’s “invasion” of Karachi, which turned out to be false. It should be noted that even after being proved wrong, only one of these TV news anchors admitted that they had aired false news. Others have not yet issued a retraction or correction.
Both Zee News and News18 reported the death of a Poonch resident, 47-year-old Qari Mohammad Iqbal, who was an Indian citizen, misidentifying him as a wanted Pakistani terrorist. It is through such reports that Iqbal’s family learned of his death and they are naturally devastated. So far, neither network has issued a retraction or apology.
Several TV anchors and panellists used provocative and derogatory language during the broadcasts, which made a mockery of the seriousness of the strikes and the lives at stake.
Spreading False Casualty Figures and Deepfakes
A number of channels reported casualty counts on the Pakistani side that did not appear to be corroborated and/or based on facts. Anchors claimed Pakistan had admitted the loss of fighter jets — but these stories were later found to be disinformation or AI-generated deepfakes. Several media outlets ignored even the Indian government’s official clarifications as well as the several fact-checks, including by the PIB, that debunked such footage as outdated or manipulated.
Such irresponsible coverage has undermined the work and credibility of journalism, spread misinformation, created mass panic and encouraged jingoism among viewers, and jeopardised the ceasefire brokered on May 11, 2025 between India and Pakistan. By prioritising Television Rating Points (TRP) over facts, and spreading false information and fake images, these broadcasters not only hurt the credibility of the country and its media but gave credence to misinformation and disinformation.
Call for Accountability and Self-Correction
We demand immediate action by news organisations and self-regulatory bodies:
- Issue Public Corrections and Apologies: Rescind or correct all unfounded reports on Operation Sindoor and related events.
- Enforce Rigorous Verification Protocols: Establish mandatory inhouse fact-checking departments empowered to halt broadcasts pending verification.
- Sanction Non-Compliant Entities: Media self-regulatory bodies must impose meaningful penalties on outlets and individuals who repeatedly flout journalistic standards and ethics.
The Network of Women in Media, India
16 May 2025
