Why CNN-IBN did not telecast trust vote sting

THE MONEY TRAIL: In the cash-for-vote story, there were many loose ends that needed to be cross-checked.

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In the last week, there has been speculation over an alleged ‘sting’ operation conducted by CNN-IBN to expose allegations of bribery in the run-up to the trust vote in Parliament.

Since the speculation is based on hearsay, conjecture and mere guess-work, we at CNN-IBN, the country's leading English news channel, feel that it is necessary to set the record straight. As a journalist-driven organisation, we value our credibility and independence above all else.

We have always striven to raise the bar of journalism, to ensure that the highest standards and procedures are followed at all times.

The 'sting' operation conducted by our investigation team was part of this commitment to ensure that the public interest is enhanced. Our team had begun the investigations at least a week before the trust vote and the 'sting' was to be part of a wide-ranging investigation across the political spectrum into allegations of horse trading.

Moreover, the 'sting' operation we conducted was unique in that neither were we participants, nor were we engaging in 'entrapment' by offering cash, nor were we under a false identity.

We were, as is accepted in practices in the international press, 'flies on the wall', simply recording an alleged bribery operation, without interfering in it at any stage.

Why have we not telecast the story so far? Quite simply, we have chosen not to telecast the story yet because we did not feel that the story was complete.

Credible journalism is based on accuracy not speed, facts not sensationalism, reportage not allegations and assumptions. Our rigorous editorial protocol demands that even a hidden camera shoot is absolutely water-tight.

In this particular story, there were many loose ends that needed to be cross-checked, corroborated and investigated further before the story could be aired.

As it transpired, even before we could complete the process of investigation, three BJP MPs made allegations in parliament of having been bribed and displayed cash in the House.

In the politically surcharged circumstances, we felt that the more appropriate step would be to provide the recordings we had made till date to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha as the appropriate constitutional authority.

All the raw, unedited footage was placed before the Speaker within 24 hours of Parliament fracas. Not a single frame has been edited in any form.