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The New York Times story on Delhi's education system was based on "an impartial and on-the-ground reporting", the American newspaper said on Friday, rejecting the paid news charge.
The report triggered a war of words between the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party after the CBI raided the residence of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also hold the education and excise portfolios, on Friday in connection with alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the AAP government's excise policy.
Requested for a clarification on the matter, the NYT's external communications director Nicole Tylor told PTI in an email, "Our report about efforts to improve Delhi's education system is based on impartial, on-the-ground reporting." She said education is an issue that The New York Times has covered over many years.
“Journalism from The New York Times is always independent, free from political or advertiser influence,” she added.
On the charge that the same story was also published by the Khaleej Times, Tylor clarified, "Other news outlets routinely license and republish our coverage."
Along with the story, the NYT published a picture of Sisodia with three girl students of Delhi government schools, with the caption, "Manish Sisodia, the Delhi education minister, started the overhaul by making surprise visits to schools.
Now other states in India are pushing to adopt the Delhi model." Reacting to the CBI raid, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi, "The day (sic) Delhi education model's praise and Manish Sisodia's photograph was published on the front page of America's largest (selling) newspaper NYT, Centre sent the CBI to Manish's residence."
Hitting back, the BJP dubbed the NYT story published with a photograph of Sisodia as "paid news" and accused the Kejriwal dispensation of "wasting" public money on such publicity.
"How is it that New York Times and Khaleej Times carry exactly the same article, word by word, authored by the same person, same pictures (that too of a private school) on Delhi's non-existent education model?” BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya asked in a tweet.
"Arvind Kejriwal's best defence is nothing but paid promotion...," he added.
North East Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari too alleged that the AAP was "wasting" public money on publicity.
Responding to the charges, the AAP said, "It is outrightly funny and stupid that the BJP is claiming the NYT story to be a paid article. Anyone working in the media can look at an article and gauge if it is paid or not."
The journalist who did this story had formally requested for an interview and photos on the same in March this year. Being a longform print, they conducted a month long exercise over it leading them to churn out stories like that of a student, Pradeep Paswan, the AAP said.
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