Through the first week of July, Instagram reels began warning of a ‘Bharat Bandh’. Many were alarmist. Thumbnails urged people “not to step out of home”, said India was “on high alert”, and claimed public services would be disrupted on July 15. The shutdown, they said, was about E20 petrol.
Many of these videos were by regional TV anchors – from Network18, TV9, News1 India, Zee News, News Nation and Bharat24 – posting from their personal handles, in the register they use on air.
But there was no Bharat Bandh. No organisation had called one, not even the political parties that had been most vocal on E20. The channels’ editorial teams categorically denied issuing any instruction to this effect.
At Network18, the reels had consequences. More than half-a-dozen regional anchors were temporarily taken off-air this July, sources said, and their phones were checked as part of an internal enquiry. According to one anchor who went through it, the enquiry also went through their ChatGPT histories.
All the reels have now been deleted. But six weeks on, what hasn’t been settled is how a false claim travelled through TV anchors, on platforms where they trade on being TV media professionals, without passing through a single newsroom that would have had to verify it – or why. Was it all a political campaign masquerading as a viral trend? A paid influencer operation? Or anchors spotting a rumour with traction and chasing the views?
Sources from Network18 said the enquiry suggested the network’s anchors had violated the social media policy by spreading false information through their Instagram handles. The enquiry also raised questions about whether anchors solicited paid collaborations on Instagram – their bios read “DM for collab” – and about them acting as influencers.
News Nation managing editor Manoj Gairola said that he was not aware of any such reels made by their anchors. Bharat24 management said they had taken note of the matter but no subsequent action was taken. The other networks are yet to respond to requests for comment.
‘Salaries aren’t enough to survive’
Newslaundry reached out to at least eight anchors from the networks named in this report for comment.
One of the News18 anchors who faced the enquiry argued that the videos were never part of a paid campaign.
“Some posters were making rounds on social media saying there would be a Bharat Bandh. Ethanol and inflation were already trending, and influencers had started making reels on it. Those reels were getting views, so some anchors also began making similar videos. There were even articles by Navbharat and ABP discussing the viral claims, although they also clarified that there was no official announcement.”
News Nation managing editor Manoj Gairola said that he was not aware of any such reels made by their anchors. Bharat24 management said they had taken note of the matter but no subsequent action was taken. The other networks are yet to respond to requests for comment.
The anchor acknowledged that many regional television journalists do undertake brand collaborations, arguing that low salaries often leave them looking for additional income.
“People in the industry know that salaries for small-time anchors aren’t enough to survive in Noida. If somebody looks for another source of income, what’s wrong with that? Even senior anchors run their own YouTube channels. Either pay journalists enough or don’t stop them from finding alternatives.”
Another journalist familiar with the enquiry said management treated the matter seriously. The HR carried out the enquiry, looked at their employees’ phones, but didn’t really find any evidence of paid promotion, they said.
“If this campaign was paid, then the company could have directly sacked them on ethical grounds. But they were taken off-air and were asked to edit their Instagram handles,” they added. Those reels are now deleted, but stay up on the Instagram handles of some social media influencers.
According to the anchor, the channel treated the issue as a matter of national concern. “After the reels, we received show-cause notices. The channel thought that some politician had planted these videos.”
“We were individually called in, our phones were checked and there was a strict enquiry. They even checked our ChatGPT history. There was disappointment over our use of social media.”
Parties deny role
Both Congress and Samajwadi Party, which have been among the most vocal political parties on the issue of E20, denied giving out any Bharat Bandh call or carrying out a paid campaign.
A Congress party spokesperson told Newslaundry, “We never carry out paid promotions or hire influencers directly. Only during elections, we hire an agency, like The Inclusive Minds which is run by Sunil Kanugolu - Chief Advisor to the Karnataka government. The agency further hires influencers and carries out our operations. We also have a team based in Delhi, and in other states. Meanwhile, there are several influencers who simply support Congress and execute campaigns on their own naturally.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from Samajwadi Party revealed that they had hired a social media agency till 2029 but were not aware if they had carried out such a campaign. They added that their contract with the agency was now over. No reason was given for the same.
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