TV journalist resigns publicly at farmers’ rally, claims pressure by channel to depict it as a ‘flop’

A journalist working for ABP News announced his resignation from the channel during the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) Mahapanchayat in Meerut on Saturday, alleging that he wasn’t being allowed to tell the ‘truth’ on the farmers’ agitation.

The video of Rakshit Singh, a special correspondent with the Indian Hindi news channel, publicly resigning from the channel has been widely circulated on social media platforms.

"My parents gave me an education with the money earned through their sweat and blood. I chose this profession. Why did I choose this profession? Because I wanted to show the truth. But I am not being allowed to show the truth," he can be heard saying.

The journalist said that he was earning nearly Rs 12 lakh annually and that he may not find another job because of his stand on the protest, but he would rather beg on the streets or look for another job, he said in the video. "I have only worked as an honest journalist in the last 15 years. I can't even open a shop (due to paucity of funds)."

He pinned a tweet alleging that he was under great pressure to make a premature video of the Mahapanchayat and show it a 'flop'. "The media channel is owned by the bourgeoisie and the government of the bourgeoisie," he alleged.

Shortly after resigning, he tweeted two videos describing the scenario in various media houses. "There was a sense of respect for news channels in the past when they went out to cover stories, and that was the main reason for me to pursue this profession. But today, that respect is lost. Today, the condition is such that many reporters have to take off their Identity Cards to cover the story. We have slogans like 'Godi Media', 'Murdabad' for the channels. I have worked in various organisations in the past 10-12 years and had good experience. But it was entirely different from what it is now, and I can't be a part of such an environment," he contended.

The channel denied the Singh’s charges, saying that they believed in the highest degree of ethical journalism and had strict policies in place for the reporters to maintain impartiality, independence and fairness in their reporting and editorial principles. "Also, fact-based reporting has always been central to our editorial policy. We are shocked and saddened to see that one of our reporters has misused our brand and has made false remarks and statements to fulfil personal motives," its spokesperson said, as per media reports.