Responding to a complaint filed by Indrajeet Ghorpade, about communally charged clickbait, the NBDSA has ordered Times Now Navbharat to remove/edit misleading thumbnails from a report on a Shimla Mosque, NBDSA ruling condemns the practice of using sensational visuals to twist narratives and create fear, issued advisory to all broadcasters that tickers and thumbnail should conform to the actual version of the discussions and interviews.
In an era where the click often holds more sway than the content, the gatekeepers of Indian broadcast news have issued a stark warning. The signposts must match the destination. The News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) delivered a sharp rebuke on June 9, 2025, calling out news channels for a pervasive and troubling trend of using misleading tickers and thumbnails that twist the reality of their own reports. This move signals a potential turning point in holding media outlets accountable for the digital bait they use to lure viewers.
At the heart of this decision was a specific broadcast by Times Now Navbharat, which the NBDSA, led by Chairperson Justice (retd.) A.K. Sikri, found to be in clear violation. The panel observed that the pursuit of sensationalism often leads to a distorted version of the actual narrative, and the time for correction is now.
The controversial Shimla broadcast
The issue stemmed from a complaint filed by Indrajeet Ghorpade regarding a September 6, 2024, report by Times Now Navbharat. The broadcast, which focused on the Sanjauli mosque in Shimla, was promoted with incendiary thumbnails. One read, “अवैध मस्जिद पर महिलओं ने मुसलमानों पर खुलकर सब बता दिया!” (Women openly tell everything about the illegal mosque), while another featured visuals of women with provocative, incomplete speech bubbles like “मुसलमान लड़के हमे….” (Muslim boys us…) and “जुम्मे के दिन तो…” (On Fridays…).
According to complaint against the channel, the reporter’s line of questioning to four local women was pointed, “Has the number of Muslims visiting the mosque increased?”, “What is the change in the atmosphere with the rise in the population of Muslim persons in Shimla?”, and the direct “Kya Dar Ka Mahaul hai?” (Is there an atmosphere of fear?).
Yet, according to the complaint, none of the women interviewed recounted any personal negative experiences with the Muslim community or visitors to the mosque.
Leading questions, loaded thumbnails
The complainant, Mr. Ghorpade, argued that the reporter’s leading questions were designed to elicit a particular response, creating a narrative of fear. This effect, he contended, was dangerously amplified by the malicious thumbnails. He pointed out the absurdity of using fragmented and suggestive speech bubbles like “musalman ladke hume…” when the women interviewed never made such statements or flagged any safety issues. The clear insinuation, he argued, was designed to ignite communal tension.
A deluge of videos
While highlighting the channel’s relentless focus on the issue, the complainant submitted that Times Now Navbharat had uploaded nearly 150 videos on the Shimla Mosque within a 48-hour period. Thumbnails for these videos continued the provocative theme, with one stating, “Avaidh Masjid ko lekar Shimla ke Hinduon ne Musalmano par kya kaha” (What Shimla’s Hindus said about the illegal mosque), accompanied by an image of a woman with a speech bubble suggesting she said “yaha se hathaya jaye” (it should be removed from here). The complainant asserted that this pattern demonstrated a clear and ill-intentioned agenda.
The channel’s defence
In its submission, Times Now Navbharat positioned the broadcast as a report on civic issues like overcrowding and women’s safety in Shimla, denying that it singled out any community. The channel maintained that the four women interviewed were independent-minded adults whose responses were not influenced. It argued that their concerns about verifying newcomers were general and not aimed at any specific group.
The broadcaster urged the NBDSA to view the program in its entirety, set against the backdrop of an allegedly illegal multi-story construction at the mosque. They contended that discussing the impact on the local atmosphere was legitimate journalism. Invoking the right to freedom of speech under Article 19(1)(a), the channel defended its editorial discretion in how it presented the story, arguing that isolating certain elements from their context was unfair. When pressed on the misleading thumbnails, the channel stated that a full statement cannot be carried in a thumbnail and no motive should be attributed to it.
NBDSA’s verdict: a clear misrepresentation
The NBDSA panel was not persuaded. It observed that the thumbnail text was glaringly inconsistent with the actual statements made by the women in the broadcast. The authority concluded that the text, particularly phrases like “Musalman ladke hume… Jumeh ke din toh…”, gave the false and damaging impression that Muslim men were harassing women. The NBDSA deemed this not only misleading but also detrimental to communal harmony, constituting a clear violation of its guidelines.
NBDSA’s advisory to all broadcasters
Finding that the thumbnails failed to project a correct version of the interviews, the NBDSA issued a decisive advisory to all broadcasters. It emphasised that tickers and thumbnails are not exempt from journalistic ethics and must faithfully conform to the actual content of the report.
The authority directed Times Now Navbharat to immediately edit or remove the offending thumbnails from the video of the broadcast, wherever it may exist online, and confirm its compliance in writing within seven days. With this order, the NBDSA closed the complaint, but opened a new chapter in the fight for digital news integrity.
The NBDSA order dated 09.06.2025 can be read here:
CJP: In solidarity with those resisting hate
This NBDSA ruling is more than a penalty for one channel; it’s a victory in the wider fight against digital misinformation; a battle being fiercely waged by citizen-led groups. At the forefront is Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), an organisation that has moved beyond merely complaining to building a network of empowered citizens capable of fighting back themselves.
CJP’s research, detailed in reports like “The Cost of Clicks,” has dissected how channels, facing scrutiny for overt hate, have pivoted to a more insidious strategy. They now leverage sensational thumbnails as clever clickbait, transforming the quest for engagement into a perilous game of division and fear for profit. This psychological appeal exploits curiosity and apprehension to hook viewers.
The distinction between the themes of thumbnails and the actual content of video is stark, often serving merely as a trigger to provoke viewers into clicking on sensational videos. This tactic exploits ongoing, contentious issues that evoke curiosity and generate excitement among audiences. Thumbnails designed to capture attention ask questions like, “What will happen next?” This psychological appeal plays into a fundamental human tendency to seek out information about impending developments (and often, accompanied by a sense of apprehension, or doom).
CJP’s detailed research on “The Cost of Clicks: how thumbnails encourage misleading and hate news consumption” can be read here
Notably, the disturbing phenomenon was meticulously examined by the CJP Hate Watch team in its long-form analysis, “From government cheerleaders to agent provocateurs: the (mis) use of thumbnails on YouTube.” The analysis details how major Indian television channels, already positioned as mouthpieces for the powerful, are evolving their tactics. Faced with a credibility crisis and reined in by citizen-led complaints to the NBDSA, these channels have shifted their strategy.
Where overt hate in broadcasts once led to take-down orders, they now cleverly leverage misleading thumbnails as their primary weapon. This calculated use of provocative visuals and text is a persistent effort to barter on a politics of division, jeopardizing communal harmony while attempting to dodge direct regulatory scrutiny—a trend CJP has documented through numerous NBDSA orders obtained against these channels between 2022 and 2024.
Related
The Cost of Clicks: how thumbnails encourage misleading and hate news consumption
From government cheerleaders to agent provocateurs: the (mis) use of thumbnails on YouTube
From ‘Ab Hoga Khel’ to ‘Kuch Bada Hone Wala Hai’: the trap set by thumbnails