A video of Aaj Tak anchor and managing editor Anjana Om Kashyap has been gathering a lot of traction on social media. In the footage, she is heard apologizing for speaking the language of politicians.
She is heard saying in Hindi, "There was a time when journalism was called the fourth pillar of democracy. Today, journalism has been sold off and is sitting on the lap of power. Hello, I am Anjana Om Kashyap and today, I am standing in front of the camera, not as a journalist, but as a human being. Today, I have come to apologize to all of you. For years you have trusted me. You have seen me, heard me. But what did I do with that trust? Instead of becoming your voice, I started speaking the language of politicians."
Further, she purportedly remarks, "Yes, I accept that I kept quiet when I should have spoken. I closed my eyes when the truth was out in the open. And yes, I also flattered the government…those debates, that shouting. Everything was just for the TRPs. But enough is enough. I am tired of donning that fake persona. Now, I will only speak the truth. Now, I will only talk about the public's rights. If you want to witness the rebirth of journalism, subscribe to this channel. This is a revolution, a question of your rights, and I need your support because revolutions cannot be done alone."
X handle @indian_armada posted this 1 minute 36 second clip and wrote, "I can't believe this!". At the time of this article being written, the post has received more than 2 lakh views. (Archived version of the post)
X account @putin_pundit also posted the viral video and wrote, "Is this really Anjana Om Kashyap? I can't believe it." The post had garnered around 1.8 lakh views at the time of writing.
Another X user named Chirag Patel posted the video and wrote, "The punishment for this should at least be life imprisonment, isn't it?" (Archived link)
This video has been shared widely on X and Facebook with similar claims.
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Fact Check
Alt News took a closer look at the viral video and found that at many points there was no lip-sync. This suggested that the clip might be tampered with or doctored.
We noticed that the words 'indian armada' were embedded on the frame f the video. It is worth noting that the first tweet mentioned above is by the same handle. When we took a closer look at the '@indian_armada' handle, we found that it is a parody account. The bio of this X account states that it uses Photoshop and creates memes.
When we dug deeper, we found that Anjana Om Kashyap had posted a video on Instagram on December 26, 2023 in which she is seen wearing clothes similar to the one in the viral video. However, in this video, Kashyap praises Bihar. She did not make any comment regarding her journalism.
Anjana Om Kashyap also posted the full video of her speech on YouTube on October 17, 2023. According to the information provided here, a group called the Indian People Forum in UAE had organized a 'Bihar Meet'. During this occasion, Om Kashyap delivered a speech. However, did not mention anything that is heard in the viral video.
Alt News compared the viral clip and the video posted by the journalist on YouTube (first 44 seconds) side by side and found that the movement of Kashyap's hands and body were identical in both of these videos. However, the original video has been mirrored, edited and replaced with a different audio.
https://vimeo.com/1093347903
To sum it up, the viral video of Anjana Om Kashyap in which she is heard apologizing for her brand of journalism is doctored.
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Hello, my name is Ankit Sahu. I'm a 25 year old self-employed Pirate from the Chhindwara.