Newslaundry COVID and Indian Media Censorship – 2020
News18 amends reports on poor quality masks at AIIMS (30 Dec, 2020)
In May, a news report by News18 on the lack of PPE kits at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences was edited beyond recognition. The report, titled “‘Not Worried About Virus But Govt Apathy’: Lack of PPEs Makes AIIMS Healthcare Staff Target for Covid” and published on May 29, began by pointing out that there had been a rapid rise in the number of infected healthcare workers at the hospital. It quoted Dr Srinivas Rajkumar T, general secretary of the AIIMS Resident Doctors Association, as saying that the government had been apathetic to their requests for safe hostel premises, proper sanitation, effective quarantine protocols, and better quality N95 face masks. He added that the demands had been met with threats by the hospital administration to jeopardise the careers of RDA executives.