Sting op had loose ends: channel

The channel, which faced criticism from various quarters for its refusal to telecast the tapes, said the three BJP MPs made allegations of having been bribed in parliament and displayed cash even before it could complete its investigations.

Television channel CNN-IBN on Wednesday clarified that it did not telecast the secret recording of three MPs being allegedly bribed to vote in favour of the confidence vote last week, as the tapes were “not complete” and further investigations were required “before the story could be aired”.

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The channel, which faced criticism from various quarters for its refusal to telecast the tapes, said the three BJP MPs made allegations of having been bribed in parliament and displayed cash even before it could complete its investigations.

“We have chosen not to telecast the story yet because we did not feel that the story was complete…our rigorous editorial protocol demands that even a hidden camera shoot is absolutely water-tight,” a statement issued by the channel said.

In this particular story, the statement pointed out, there were many loose ends that needed to be cross-checked, corroborated and investigated.

The channel said it decided to place “all the raw, unedited footage before the Speaker within 24 hours of the parliament fracas”, as the three BJP MPs made allegations in the House even before the investigations could be completed. “Not a single frame has been edited in any form,” the statement said.

The clarification by CNN-IBN came as the committee set-up by Lok Sabha Speaker to probe the cash-for-vote allegations said the channel was free to telecast the tapes.