CEO Salman Danish says all TV channels’ 10-month data analysed in report but only Express benefited from it; says international auditors endorse Medialogic’s allegations
LAHORE: Medialogic Chief Executive Salman Danish on Monday said the report submitted by an international auditor appointed by the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) had fully endorsed the findings of his organisation by stating that the Express Group had tampered with ratings to its benefit and no other channel was found guilty of the act.
Addressing a press conference, he said the Express Group had expressed trust in the international auditor, Robert Rudd, and thus did not have any grounds to question his investigation.
Rudd was selected and endorsed as an auditor by Sultan Lakhani, being the PBA finance secretary, and he had even signed the cheque to pay him, Danish added.
He said the Express Group had given him a letter just a couple of years ago, stating that they completely endorsed Medialogic rating systems and integrity.
On the occasion, Danish distributed that letter to media persons along with the audit report and evidences he has submitted to the PBA.
It is worth recalling that the PBA has given another 10 days to the Express Group for submitting reply to the show-cause notice served earlier.
Danish clarified that the data from the last 10 months of not just the Express Group-owned TV channels but all the media houses was evaluated in the audit. However, Rudd, in his report, clearly stated that only the Express Group was found guilty of tampering with ratings, which not just benefited the media house immensely but also dented the right of other TV channels in Pakistan, he added.
Danish noted that “this statement by the auditor is important because it would have been an easy way out for the Express Group to say that the system itself is flawed and that anyone can do this.”
It clearly proved Medialogic’s stance that the entire practice of tampering was intentionally carried out by a single group (Express) and it was not a flaw of the system nor a common practice employed by other channels as well, Danish added.
He said “despite being a major issue, the Express Group has had four opportunities to defend itself through explanation or rebuttals.” However, he said, not a single explanation or denial had been given even though all the evidence was submitted to the PBA and also forwarded to the Express Group via the show-cause notice
The proof, he said, included the affidavits of those households whose members who accepted receiving money for watching the Express Group-owned TV channels. A video recording of the Express Group employees had also been shared, in which they were giving bribe to the Medialogic staffers, he added.
But Lakhani was still claiming that other media houses too had paid various families to make them watch their respective TV channels.
Danish said the Express Group, if it was unhappy, could opt to not receiving data from Medialogic and get advertisement on the basis of Twitter and Facebook accounts. “We are providing a private service and the channel satisfied with it gets data from us.”
The Medialogic CEO dismissed the allegation that Shaista Mushtaq’s statement was a result of police pressure and harassment, as he showed a video recording of her entire statement.
In the video, Shaista and her parents can be seen sitting in a very comfortable setting where they are in a very pleasant and relaxed mood, answering the queries while they entertain themselves with coffee and cookies presented by the Medialogic.
He said Shaista’s house was raided by the police 21 days after the recording of her statement which clearly ruled out the claim that the statement was a result of coercion.
Danish challenged that he could prove in any court or through inquiry that Shaista was lying on the instructions of the Express Group as she could not contradict the funds being transferred to her account through an Express Group employee. He said the timeline of events -- including Shaista’s statement, registration of FIR, date of bail and the date of police raid -- had already been provided and the Medialogic could prove that whenever required.
Responding to a question regarding the probable penalty to the Express Media Group if it fails to defend itself, Danish said it could result in a financial penalty, a ban on the channel or both; however, the PBA would recommend the punishment after the 10 days given to the Express Group had expired and its explanation was evaluated, if it chooses to submit one.
Danish urged the journalists affiliated with Express News to do fact-based analysis and ensure justice in their reports instead of blindly following their paymaster’s directions and toeing his agenda.
—Published in The News