Times Now and its senior representative Navika Kumar are facing considerable ridicule after the Indian TV channel was found to be peddling another fake news, this time on the fighting in the Panjshir Valley of Afghanistan.
A fact-check by UK-based news platform, UK Defence Journal, has heaped more embarrassment on Times Now and Kumar. Times Now, in its recent broadcast, had showed visuals of fighter jets that it claimed were hovering over the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan.
The Times Now anchor said during the broadcast, “Breaking news coming in. We’ve got visuals of yet another tranche of Pakistani fighter jets that can be seen soaring the skies in Panjshir. These are the fighter jets that you can see on your screen facilitated by Pakistan to aid the Taliban forces as it tries to crush the resistance.”
The anchor was then joined by one her colleagues, identified as Pradeep Dutta, who said, “If you look at these visuals, it indicates two things. One, Pakistani invasion in full force in Panjshir Valley. It’s not the Taliban that are fighting. Pakistani army is fighting on their behalf. Second thing is how Pakistan has been lying through their teeth. These visuals nail their lies.”
Soon, a fact-check by UK Defence Journal, revealed that the video was not from the Panjshir Valley but of an ‘American jet flying through Welsh valleys’ in the UK. Sharing the Times Now video, George Allison of UK Defence Jurnal, tweeted, “Indian news channel @TimesNow has shared video footage it described as “1st visuals of a fighter jet, allegedly belonging to Pakistan, hovering over Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan”, the trouble? It’s an American jet flying through Welsh valleys. Here it is…”
Indian news channel @TimesNow has shared video footage it described as "1st visuals of a fighter jet, allegedly belonging to Pakistan, hovering over Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan", the trouble? It's an American jet flying through Welsh valleys. Here it is… pic.twitter.com/IKvFX1F7r8
— George Allison (@geoallison) September 6, 2021
Soon, Times Now and its executive Navika Kumar became a target of incessant trolling by Twitterati.
Dear @navikakumar any public apology for this shameful fake news? Your channel is a daily joke on “news” https://t.co/8iTqaaIYXs
— Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) September 6, 2021
????✌️ pic.twitter.com/jEMppTeDdT
— St . Sinner. (@retheeshraj10) September 6, 2021
@navikakumar ????♀️ pic.twitter.com/vqT2xa6LKN
— Sumit ???????? ???????? (@hi_essdee) September 6, 2021
Hey Navika aunty again you got caught red handed for airing fake news / videos on your channel.
Pls quit the journalism asap and join some mohalla gang to gossip, that suits your personality and level of journalism you have. #SaveIndiaFromNavika pic.twitter.com/f8PoTJpicF
— Varun Arora (@varoons20) September 6, 2021
Republic TV spreading fake news on Taliban-afghan clash
Times Now spreading fake news on Pakistan-Panjshir invasion
NDTV as usual showing Farmer's Protest and Fuel price rise
Shame on NDTV !!
— Nehr_who? (@Nher_who) September 6, 2021
Indian media is also receiving bashing from international media…..@TimesNow , shameless people #Endia #PANJSHIR pic.twitter.com/ZPn1j9OIJD
— Tahir Naqvi (@Tahir51116030) September 6, 2021
Many Twitterati also targeted Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV for airing fake visuals of drone attacks from Afghanistan when the visual was a clip from a video game.
