Prasar Bharati ‘threatens’ to cancel PTI subscription

NEW DELHI: The state broadcaster Prasar Bharati has threatened to cancel its subscription of news agency Press Trust of India (PTI), alleging that the latter's recent coverage was “detrimental to the national interest” and undermined India's “territorial integrity”.

PTI is the largest news agency in India and is a nonprofit trust run by a Board, comprising of owners/proprietors of key newspapers groups in the country.

According to sources, Prasar Bharati has sent a strongly worded letter to PTI conveying its “deep displeasure” on Saturday.

In a letter marked to PTI'S chief marketing officer, the Prasar Bharti said, “The PTI has conducted itself in a manner contrary to the values that the public broadcaster has been mandated to uphold. The said conduct of PTI has made it no longer tenable for the public service broadcaster to be a patron of PTI as a news agency.”

“Taking into view in totality PTI'S conduct, Prasar Bharati is reviewing the need for continued relationship with PTI and a decision in this regard will be conveyed soon,” the public broadcaster stated in its letter to PTI.

“It is also mentioned that the PTI had also been time and again alerted by the public broadcaster on editorial lapses resulting in dissemination of wrong news harming public interest,” the letter read. Prasar Bharati's letter further stated that PTI is substantially supported by the public broadcaster through huge annual fees towards subscriptions. “Issue of rationalisation of subscription fee has been lingering on for the past several years due to rigid attitude of PTI. Despite all-out efforts by Prasar Bharati, PTI has failed to detail the huge annual subscription fee which was required by the Prasar Bharati Board to finalise the issue,” it said.

As per sources, the strong letter from the public broadcaster to PTI has been sent after PTI had quoted the Indian ambassador in Beijing saying that Chinese troops needed to move back to their side of the line of actual control in Ladakh – a statement that contradicts Prime Minister Modi's claim that “no one has intruded” into India. Notably, PTI has on Friday flashed a tweet from its official handle @PTI_NEWS at 8.45 PM quoting Indian envoy to China Vikram Misri that India hopes China will realise its responsibility in de-escalation and disengaging by moving back to its side of LAC.