BBC JOURNO TO FACE ACTION FOR ‘FAULTY’ REPORT

The environment ministry has suggested “blacklisting” a BBC producer for “grossly erroneous” reporting after its documentary projected the government’s anti-poaching strategy at Kaziranga Tiger reserve as a “shoot-to-kill” policy.

An Office Memorandum (OM) issued by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has taken strong objection to the documentary .

BBC news South Asia Bureau and the producer of the documentary-Killing For Conservation-Justin Rowlatt has been issued a show cause notice asking them why their permissions should not be revoked.

The documentary examines the government’s anti-poaching policy and seeks to find if the communities in the areas near the reserve have been affected.

If the BBC fails to comply, its filming permission in all the tiger reserves of the country stand revoked, it said.

“Further, the said documentary uploaded on various online portals be removed with immediate effect by parties concerned. The Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom is requested to take action as appropriate in the matter,” the OM said.

A BBC spokesperson, when contacted said the film makes clear the successes achieved by India’s conservation policies.

“However, the film also expressly set out to explore the challenges of India’s conservation drive and during production it became clear that one of those challenges was the impact on communities living next to the park,” he said.

“Our audiences expect us to bring them the full picture, while adhering to our editorial standards and this piece is no different,” he added.