Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Hindi news TV channel News Express Wednesday sacked its Dehradun reporter after a video clip showing him reporting sitting on the shoulder of a victim went viral on the Internet and sparked outrage.
The reporter,Narayan Pargaien,however,claimed that the people he was covering in Dehraduns Bindal area insisted he ride on one of their shoulders as they did not want Pargaien to cross a river on his own. Such an act by the reporter,Mr Narayan Pargaien,was not just inhuman but was also against the culture of our esteemed organisation, the channel said on its website.
News Express channel did not broadcast this video of Mr Narayan Pargaien but it was uploaded by someone we dont know. Mr Pargaien was working as a retainer… and on Tuesday… this channel terminated Mr Pargaien with immediate effect,as such an act by the reporter is a grave misconduct.
Pargaien admitted that he had got on to the shoulder of a flood victim but the footage was deleted from his report. He claimed a friend had betrayed him and uploaded it on YouTube as part of a conspiracy to damage his career.
I had crossed the water on my own. The locals shared their problems and I ensured availability of rations for them. I gave a patient hearing to their problems, Pargaien told The Indian Express. They forced me to ride on the shoulder of a local. They told me they wont allow me to cross the river on my own, he said,adding that he could not refuse them.
