A journalist working for the digital media of Sakshi media house, owned by YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, was sacked from his job for displaying overenthusiasm in publishing a wrong news on the judgement of the special CBI court on the cancellation of Jagan’s bail.
The journalist posted the news at 10.53 am, even before the CBI court commenced its functioning on August 25, that the court had dismissed the petition of rebel YSRC MP K Raghurama Krishnam Raju seeking cancellation of Jagan’s bail in the alleged quid pro quo case being probed by the CBI.
The news was also immediately tweeted by the social media wing of Sakshi. But within minutes, both the post as well as the tweet were removed on coming to know that the hearing was still continuing in the court, which ultimately deferred the judgement to September 15.
The Sakshi management posted a regret message saying the news was erroneously published due to miscommunication and it was withdrawn from the website and the Twitter immediately.
But the damage was already done to Sakshi media house. It not only harmed its reputation but also caused an embarrassment to the management, as it is an issue concerning the court judgement.
Raghurama Raju lost no opportunity in pointing out the “mischief” of Sakshi saying it deliberately carried the wrong news to mislead the people as well as judiciary. He lodged a complaint with the court by sending the clipping of the news as well as the tweet.
With its reputation at stake, the Sakshi management immediately sacked the journalist responsible for the goof-up.
The YSRC social media wing alleged that the journalist had deliberately published the wrong news only to create troubles for Jagan Mohan Reddy and defame him.
“He is a black sheep in Sakshi and was waiting for an opportunity to spit venom on Jagan. The management has to be wary of such mischievous elements,” the social media group of the YSRC said.
In fact, the news about the CBI court dismissing Raju’s petition was circulated in the WhatsApp groups much earlier.
And the Sakshi journalist was apparently misled by the same and carried in the website, thinking that it was a positive development for the YSRC.
Whether he had done it deliberately or inadvertently, he had to lose his job for his overenthusiasm in carrying the news without verifying!