THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The sleaze talk row involving NCP leader AK Saseendran took a new turn as Mangalam TV news channel apologised for carrying out a sting operation in an inappropriate way.
Channel CEO R Ajithkumar said the audio aired by it was the result of a sting operation using a woman journalist and not sexual advances to a homemaker as stated earlier. He claimed the sting operation was planned by an eight-member team and the role of the woman journalist was voluntary.
The apology came after the expose triggered an outrage and the media fraternity and the public denounced it. Ajith Kumar said the channel would not repeat the mistake. At least three employees of the news channel had resigned protesting the unethical method adopted by the channel.
Meanwhile, women journalists staged a protest in the capital city against the channel for conducting a sting operation that showed women in bad light.
The journalists under the banner ‘Network of Women in Media’ took out a march to the office of the news channel. They objected to the claim the woman journalist did it voluntarily. Network convener Geetha Nazeer addressed the gathering.