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Sakshi TV
Indian Telugu-language TV news channel From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sakshi TV (transl. The Witness)[3] is an Indian Telugu-language 24-hour news channel. It was launched on 1 March 2009, by Indira Television Ltd. owned by Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.[4][5] It is currently run under the chairmanship of Y. S. Bharathi Reddy, wife of Jagan Mohan Reddy.[6][7] The media group also owns the Telugu daily newspaper, Sakshi.[8]
The channel is widely regarded as a propaganda outlet for Jagan Mohan Reddy and his political party—YSR Congress Party (YCP).[14] It has been criticized for its biased coverage of the political rivals of Reddy and YCP.[9][15][16] Sakshi TV has been found to be in breach of the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) code of ethics on various occasions.[17][18] On 20 January 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs denied security clearance to the channel citing intelligence reports. As of February 2022[update], the channel is functional following a temporary stay it obtained from the Telangana High Court.
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History
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The channel started airing on 1 March 2009.[4][5] It is promoted by Indira Television Ltd., with Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Y. S. Rajashekhara Reddy, as the Chairman.[8][19] According to a CBI chargesheet filed against Jagan Mohan Reddy, the investments in his media companies were quid pro quo[20] bribes by those people who had benefited from their unfair deals with his father's government.[21][22][23][24]
The channel was initially named Indira Priyadarsini.[8] According to Ramakrishna Reddy, the first Editor-in-Chief of the channel, it was renamed to cash in on the popularity of the Sakshi newspaper which was launched a year before the channel by Jagan Mohan Reddy.[8] At its launch, the channel claimed to be the first HDTV channel in the country. It was marketed as being primarily targeted at the youth.[8]
Of the nearly ₹40 crore (US$4.7 million) the government of Andhra Pradesh spent on advertising in electronic media for the years 2009-12, Sakshi TV got advertisements worth over ₹17 crore (US$2.0 million). This was attributed to the undue preferential treatment Sakshi TV and Sakshi newspaper received during the chief ministership of Rajasekhara Reddy.[5][21]
It is currently run under the chairmanship of Y. S. Bharathi Reddy, wife of Jagan Mohan Reddy.[25][6][7] In January 2019, Sakshi Media Group appointed Vinay Maheshwari as its Executive Director and CEO.[6] Maheshwari exited the company in March 2022.[26]
On 20 January 2022, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs denied security clearance to Sakshi TV, along with a Malayalam channel MediaOne, based on intelligence inputs received from various central government agencies.[27][28] The channel had filed a writ petition at Telangana High Court and, as of February 2022[update], it is surviving on a temporary stay until further hearing and another extension of the same on 8 August 2022.[29][27][needs update]
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Content
Sakshi TV broadcasts regional, national, and international news. It also has programmes on restaurant reviews, automobiles, cookery and entertainment.[4]
Criticism
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Sakshi TV is widely perceived as a propaganda outlet for Jagan Mohan Reddy.[9][10][11][12] It has been criticized for its biased coverage of the political rivals of Reddy and his party YSR Congress Party.[9][15][16] The channel has been found to be in breach of the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) code of ethics on various occasions.[18][17]
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy's death and conspiracy theory
In January 2010, Sakshi TV broadcast a conspiracy theory by the American journalist Mark Ames in the Russian online tabloid The eXile, on the death of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, father of Jagan Mohan Reddy, in a helicopter crash on 2 September 2009. It alleged that Ambani brothers – Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani – of Reliance Group orchestrated the death.[30][31] TV5 channel broke the story while Sakshi TV and NTV relayed the report aired by TV5.[32][30]
The report led to massive attacks against the business establishments owned by the two Ambani brothers in Andhra Pradesh.[33][34][35] On 8 January 2010, criminal cases were filed against Sakshi TV and NTV while two senior journalists of TV5 were arrested.[32][36] Editors Guild of India asked the channels to desist from "irresponsible reporting" and condemned the reporting as sensational and against the principles of journalism.[35]
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References
External links
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