NDTV has been been in the news for wrong reasons since Gautam Adani took control of the media outlet. Many of its top anchors were quick to leave the organisation after Adani’s takeover. Since Adani himself is facing heat from India’s opposition parties on charges of massive financial fraud, the billionaire businessman’s notoriety had adversely impacted the reputation of NDTV, which once enjoyed considerable respect. The media outlet on Tuesday was forced to change its headline after it called a leopard’s morning stretch to ‘surya namaskar.’
The original headline of NDTV’s report screamed, “Watch: “Fitness Freak Leopard” Performs “Surya Namaskar”, Internet Amazed.”
The report prompted internet users to poke fun at at the new editorial priority of NDTV under Adani as they took potshots at the media outlet’s obsession to please its boss, who’s a close friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Soon, users began to share tweets to mock NDTV.
Cat stretch – There are over 30 species of cats on the planet and they stretch their legs and body after sleeping.
But this Surya Namaskar tweet of NDTV will be a hit in WhatsApp. 🤧 https://t.co/wjzLFJzcya pic.twitter.com/DYTVYVdldr
— Advaid അദ്വൈത് (@Advaidism) March 28, 2023
Yo @ndtvfeed,
Is it not Hindu Phobic for a leopard, who is definitely a meat eater, to be doing (Tejasvi) Surya Namaskar? Doesn’t it amount to Hinduism being in khatra?
Maybe you should do an hour-long prime time debate on this on @ndtv? pic.twitter.com/0eiucn6q7D
— Makarand (मकरंद) (مکرند) (@Makarand_S) March 28, 2023
Adani’s share is also doing “surya namaskar”. Isn’t it @ndtv ? pic.twitter.com/KshWd2uLZB
— Rayhan, John (@JohnRayhan) March 28, 2023
Hello @ndtv
Are you sure things have not changed since adani acquired your channel? pic.twitter.com/dgWDCmSOWE
— Chirag Patel (@tuvter) March 28, 2023
NDTV’s original report was based on a video that Forest Officer Saket Badola shared. In the video, a leopard was seen doing its morning stretch. Sharing the video, Badola wrote, “Morning stretching routine in the wild. (Shared from ‘Land of the Leopard’ National Park, Russian Far-east.)”
Morning stretching routine in the wild.
(Shared from ‘Land of the Leopard’ National Park, Russian Far-east.)@supriyasahuias @susantananda3 @SandeepMall #Yoga #SuryaNamaskar pic.twitter.com/9xdn6CDHxC— Saket Badola IFS (@Saket_Badola) March 27, 2023
Nowhere in his tweet did Badola liken leopard’s morning stretch to surya namaskar. But, NDTV flashed its headline calling it surya namaskar. Faced with public ridicule, the media outlet changed the headline to ‘”Secret Of Fitness”: Video Of Leopard’s Morning Stretch Routine Amuses Internet.’