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An old clip of Sambit Patra -- a spokesperson for India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- has been edited and then shared hundreds of times in social media posts to falsely claim he will take over as a long-term host of a debate programme on Indian news channel NDTV. The claim circulated after an ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a takeover bid for the news outlet, which sparked worries over the channel's editorial independence. But the video in fact shows Patra guest hosting a discussion programme on a different news channel, India Today, in 2018. Patra also told AFP the claim is false. Sambit Patra will now anchor shows on NDTV, reads the Hindi-language caption of a video shared on Twitter here on December 2, 2022. The 29-second clip has been retweeted over 570 times and viewed more than 29,000 times. It appears to show BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra anchoring a programme, with the logo of the Indian news channel NDTV visible in the top-right corner of the video. Banners about the first phase of Gujarat state elections -- which took place on December 1 -- can be seen bordering the video, with one reading, #ElectionsWithNDTV. The programme appears to begin with Patra saying: Welcome to the weekend special of 'To The Point'. But before I begin, I will take a pledge. I want to start with a solemn promise that I will be neutral and non-partisan on the anchor seat and give everyone an equal chance to speak today. Patra then introduces the topic of discussion and other guests on the show. Screenshot of the false Twitter post, captured on December 6, 2022 The clip circulated after an ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a hostile takeover of the network. The takeover bid from Gautam Adani , the world's third richest man as of December 8, 2022 , has sparked concerns over media freedom in India. NDTV's two channels, one in Hindi and one in English, stand out among India's myriad rolling news broadcasters for inviting on critics of the government as well as their hard-hitting reporting, AFP reported . The clip of Patra was also shared elsewhere on Facebook in posts claiming that he will be anchoring NDTV shows here and here ; and on Twitter here . Comments on the posts suggest some users were misled by the claim. Sambit Patra becoming prime time anchor of NDTV is the most bizarre news on the Internet today, wrote one user. Despite being a doctor during the coronavirus period, he could not cure anyone. Will he become a journalist? He does know how to lie and flatter, said another. Patra, however, told AFP the claim is false. The clip accompanying the claim in social media posts is old and has also been misleadingly edited. Guest anchor on India Today Asked about the claim, Patra told AFP on December 7: This video was altered and shared with a false claim. A keyword search on Google led to a longer version of the clip on the verified channel of India Today, which was uploaded on June 3, 2018. The video's description on YouTube reads, BJP spokesperson, Sambit Patra takes the anchor seat of the 'To The Point' show on India Today to discuss whether the united opposition is a real challenge to Modi. Rajdeep Sardesai, a senior journalist for India Today, also shared a link to the video on his verified Twitter account on June 4, 2018 here . Below is a screenshot comparison of the clip used in the misleading post (left) and the video uploaded on India Today's YouTube channel (right): Screenshot comparison of the clip used in the misleading post (left) and the video uploaded on India Today's YouTube channel (right) The clip shared in misleading posts largely corresponds to a section beginning at the 39-second mark of the YouTube video. However, it removed the part where Patra identified himself as a guest anchor. The YouTube video also has an India Today logo in the top-right corner, not an NDTV logo as seen in the clip shared in the misleading posts. Banners bordering the video also did not mention the Gujarat elections and showed news headlines instead. At the YouTube video's 52-second mark, the headline Gauri killed for anti-Hindu views was shown on screen. A subsequent keyword search showed a related news item published in June 2018 on the India Today website here . A June 2018 listing of programmes produced by India Today, accessible here on the Wayback Machine, indicates the channel used to hand over anchor duties for its To The Point programme on the weekends. We've turned the tables on our guests, the programme's description read. Now, every weekend one prominent newsmaker occupies the guest anchor seat, to moderate a debate. Do they fulfil their promise of being neutral and non-partisan?
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