Insensitive Headline: Deccan Herald Issues Apology After Voice Of Parents Raised Concern (image: Pixabay)

As much as reporting the truth is important in the media, sensitivity in portraying it is equally important. A news story relating to a 12-year-old boy who went missing from Bengaluru and was later traced to Hyderabad has been carried with errors in presentation by the Deccan Herald.

The 12-year-old Parinav went missing from Whitefied, as he was found leaving after attending a tutorial at a coaching centre on Sunday morning. The search began soon, and by sharing the CCTV footage of boy walking across a road, parents has sought the assistance of social media to locate him. Besides, boy”s mother also posted a video requesting him to return home. Through active social media requests in search for the boy, the boy was able to be located from a metro station in Hyderabad on Wednesday morning.

However, when the Deccan Herald carried the news, they located the possible reason behind the boy”s runaway as he was caught cheating in an exam and added that he fled because he scared of the consequences if parents got to know about it. In the title, they carried that “12-year-old traced to Hyderabad had fled after cheating in exams”.

Voice of Parents (VoP), a parents” association representing voice of parents from across schools, condemned the newspaper”s headline, and manner in which they carried the news. Taking to social media platform X, they wrote: “Dear Deccan Herald conducting a coaching for 6th std kid is cheating. Expecting kids to perform each time is cheating. Shaming a 12 year kid with a screaming headline calling him cheater is not journalism. Have some sensitivity, god sake he is 12 year boy.”

Dear @DeccanHerald conducting a coaching for 6th std kid is cheating. Expecting kids to perform each time is cheating.

Shaming a 12 year kid with a screaming headline calling him cheater is not journalism. Have some sensitivity, god sake he is 12 year boy. @bhavibee madam pic.twitter.com/Iy2jXSul5v

— Voice Of Parents Association ® (@VoiceOfParents2) January 25, 2024

Understanding the error of judgement from their part, newspaper extended apology and issued an apology note on social media. In X, Deccan Herald”s editor wrote: “In the story about the 12-year-old missing boy from Bengaluru being traced to Hyderabad (January 25 edition), our headline was insensitive. We apologise for the error of judgement and regret any distress it might have caused. We extend our good wishes to the family.” They have also withdrawn the news online and presented it with changed headline and edited content.