Wikipedia Changes Entries On Indian News Channels After Report Points To Bias
Wikipedia, in its profiles of leading news channels in India, allegedly labelled them as close to the BJP and stated that the channels reported in favour of the ruling party.
Wikipedia has edited out the 'disparaging' parts of the pages on Indian news channels following a news report that called out the website's alleged bias.
Wikipedia, in its profiles of leading news channels in India, allegedly labelled them as close to the BJP and stated that the channels reported in favour of the ruling party.
An article in NewsDrum, titled "Wikipedia’s credibility at stake as its editors target more Indian media outlets", highlighted the suspected bias within Wikipedia after its editors doubled down on their criticism of Indian media following the Delhi High Court’s warning to the website in a case pertaining to news agency ANI.
NewsDrum is an independent digital‐only news portal launched in April 2022 by the BMI Group. Founded and edited by veteran journalist Niraj Sharma, it specialises in media and political reporting with a mobile‐first focus and a strong emphasis on video commentary.
According to industry tracker Comscore, NewsDrum attracted over 200,000 unique monthly visitors as of March 2025, placing it among India's top 15 independent digital news sites. Its rapid growth and frequent exposés on editorial practices have already made it a go-to source for analysis within the Indian media ecosystem.
The Delhi High Court had ordered Wikipedia to remove defamatory statements regarding ANI from its website.
However, when Wikipedia failed to adhere to the directive, the Delhi High Court in September hinted at the possibility of a blockade in India if the online encyclopaedia did not comply with court orders.
The page in question had content that ANI claimed was defamatory, suggesting that ANI had been used as a propaganda tool.
At the time, the Canadian government picked up reports from ANI and India Today to accuse the Indian media of "foreign interference" amid a diplomatic row.
Some Wikipedia editors then targeted top Indian media outlets by branding them as mouthpieces of the Narendra Modi government.
The online encyclopaedia, however, never tagged American media outlets as 'mouthpieces' despite their declared political preferences.
What Are The Changes Made by Wikipedia?
Wikipedia has made several changes to the pages of news channels, citing NewsDrum as the source.
Similarly, on CNN-News18’s page, the online encyclopaedia removed the sentence: "The channel has been noted for supporting the ideology of the ruling Modi government and works as a propaganda news outlet."
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