Understanding the PTI fiasco

The government is going after the news agency with a vengeance, a move that may affect all of news media.

It all started with a story.

A month ago, the Press Trust of India interviewed the Chinese ambassador to India, Sun Weidong. Chinese troops had clashed with Indian forces at the border in Ladakh, and this interview was a part of the regular reportage by PTI, India’s leading news agency. What was striking about the interview, though was that the diplomat blamed India for the face-off, which had led to the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers.

PTI went ahead and published the story in late June and what has followed since is utter chaos.

First came the public broadcaster, Prasar …

Author

Harveen Ahluwalia

Harveen is a co-founder at The Morning Context, and leads our Internet coverage, overseeing a team of reporters writing on startups and tech. She has previously worked as a media, consumer and tech reporter at The Ken and Mint. At The Morning Context, she writes on startups, venture capital, consumer and media businesses—from e-commerce to healthtech to streaming.

Editor, Internet

harveen@mailtmc.com

Mumbai