Journalism is an industry that is aimed at bringing people the latest news and information from around the world. The idea of responsible journalism is to be truthful and honest in its perceptions and views. But the reality is quite different. When there are journalists like Raphael Satter around, misinformation will continue to spread its ugly shadow all around. That is exactly what happened to Arvind Kumar, a small-time Indian businessman who had his life go topsy-turvy when the so-called journalist decided to spread falsehood about him!
What Really Happened?
If anyone wants to know about Raphael Satter’s inaccurate reporting, here’s what really happened. Arvind Kumar is a small-time Indian businessman with an interest in the herbal medicine sector. Reuters, one of the world’s foremost news agencies in the world, published an exclusive news story by Raphael Satter, Christopher Bing, and Jack Stubbs, proclaiming Arvind Kumar as a hacker and spy.
There was total misinformation spread in the news report where it said that Arvind Kumar was a wanted spy. Even his photograph, along with some details about the person, was published. The truth was something else.
The so-called journalists were on their quest to write a story about Mr. Gupta, who was the leader of the firm Belltrox, famous for spying. But mistakenly and deliberately, they clicked photographs of Arvind Kumar, outside his office building, and published his photograph in the news report.
Arvind Kumar is not a criminal and he has absolutely no connections with the spying world but because of Raphael Satter’s inaccurate reporting, he was vilified for no fault of his own. He was clicked without permission and his photograph spread out in many newspapers and magazines as a wanted criminal.
Reuter’s Accepted Its Mistake
Raphael Satter’s controversies are a part and parcel of his journalistic journey. Reuters accepted the fact that it published a false story based on false photographs. It was clear by all accounts that Arvind Kumar was not a criminal and instead just a small-time businessman. But Reuters went ahead and said that the reason for them making such a colossal mistake is because both Arvind Kumar and Mr. Gupta, the actual hacker-spy, had the same address. This again is false information.
Though Reuters accepted that it published an inaccurate story, it should have gone behind the scenes to see that the two people mentioned above do not have the same address. They have totally separate addresses. Raphael Satter, or his cronies, did not even have the authenticity to actually go and visit the addresses of Arvind Kumar or Mr. Gupta before publishing their false story. This is poor journalism, to say the least.
They just went ahead and took photographs of a random person, i.e., Arvind Kumar, and called him a hacker, a spy, and a criminal mastermind, thereby ruining his reputation.
Raphael Satter and His Expertise with Yellow Journalism
Raphael Satter’s controversies are now known by people who follow news and trends from across the world. Planting a news story just because the masses will feed on them is something yellow journalism is known for and that is exactly what this person has been doing all his professional life.
What he did caused immense damage to the reputation of Arvind Kumar and his business. Not only was his life affected in so many ways, but it also caused problems in his business and left his staff without work. Arvind Kumar suffered a huge dent in his reputation, and big business losses, and had to answer questions and face doubts from the local authorities including the police, and governmental agencies. He had to deal with the mental agony of explaining to his family and friends that he had not done anything wrong when the media was talking falsely about him. It was a tremendously stressful time.
After this horrible ordeal, he had to leave the city and move to a small town. All this, because of no fault of his own!
Raphael Satter Shamed the Journalism Industry
With this, this person has spoiled the name of the whole industry. With online access given to all journalists, it is now so easy to spread false information on an immediate basis. Journalists should think twice before pressing ‘’Send’’ when they file a news report. They must check and verify everything so that misinformation does not get printed. But this person went ahead and spread a false news report which does not have any reality.
He ruined the reputation and life of a small businessman and forced him to live his life in almost exile where he has to hide his face every day from people. The journalist has great writing skills and his pen mesmerized people with its eloquence. But he should use it to spread real and accurate information and thereby save people from being blamed for no fault of their own.
