On Friday, Investigative Media Society Cobrapost released the second part of Operation 136 via Facebook Live. This was broadcast from the Facebook page of Cobrapost Hindi. Cobrapost has also published a cover story related to this on its website. A total of 50 videos related to this sting operation have been put on Cobrapost’s YouTube channel, in which many well-known personalities of the media world have been recorded by bargaining. Some of these videos are still public.
In the first part of this sting, we saw that big celebrities of the media world were ready to raise the agenda of Hindutva in exchange for money through their channel, newspaper. The same thing has emerged in the second part released today.
In the first part, Cobrapost journalist Pushp Sharma included Dainik Jagran, Amar Ujala, DNA, Punjab Kesari, Scoopwhoop, India TV, Rediff, and UNI. In the latest released sting video, some very big and prestigious names of media have been caught.
These include Times of India, India Today, Hindustan Times, Zee News, Network 18, Star India, ABP News, Radio One, Red FM, Lokmat, ABN Andhra Jyoti, TV5, Dinmalar, Big FM, K News, India Voice, The New Indian Includes Express, MVTV and Open Magazine.
The second part of Cobrapost was to be released at a press conference at the Press Club of India today. But the media group Dainik Bhaskar involved in this sting operation took refuge in the Delhi High Court. He demanded a ban on broadcasting the sting. Bhaskar appealed to the court that the broadcast of this sting would hurt his reputation. On this, the court issued a stay. The next hearing of this case will be held on 4 July in the court.
In the cover story of May 25, referring to the court order, Cobrapost wrote –
“We have received a stay order from the honorable Delhi High Court on the evening of May 24, 2018. In which we have got the order to keep Dainik Bhaskar Group separate from our Investigation. Hon’ble Delhi High Court has issued this order in favor of Dainik Bhaskar without listening to our side. So we challenge this order of the court in the interest of truth and justice. “