India Media Mistakenly Said PM Lee Is Stepping Away for Tharman to Be PM on National TV

There’s nothing more cringe-worthy than committing a public blunder, especially one that unfolds on national television.

It’s even more embarrassing when such errors involve the names of prominent public figures, whether celebrities or, in this case, our very own government officials.

In this instance, the spotlight was cast on none other than our own Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a case of mistaken identity that occurred on an Indian media outlet.

India Media Mistakenly Said PM Lee Is Stepping Away for Tharman to Be PM on National TV

For Singaporeans, it’s a no-brainer that Mr Lee serves as our current Prime Minister, a role he has held since 2004.

Likewise, we are also well aware that Tharman Shanmugaratnam recently secured the position of Singapore’s next president following his victory in the presidential election on 1 September. You can watch this video for more information about his win:

Now, these facts are a no-brainer for us. But for international news outlets, it might take a lot of work for them to remember the names (or roles) correctly.

This need for diligence was highlighted by an unfortunate error committed by an Indian media outlet, which reported that Mr Tharman would succeed Mr Lee.

They mistakenly identified Mr Tharman as the next Prime Minister of Singapore.

The blunder occurred during the live broadcast of the G20 Summit held in New Delhi, India. It was captured on the YouTube channel of the weekly Indian English news magazine India Today. 

During the live broadcast, one of the news outlet’s reporters incorrectly said that PM Lee was the “outgoing Prime Minister”. The worrying part was that the reporter spoke so confidently while reporting an inaccurate statement.

The reporter continued, “There is an Indian-origin Prime Minister, a Tamilian in fact, who takes over as the new Prime Minister. Tharman Shanmugaratnam is the new Prime Minister.”

Media Outlet India Today Apologised In a Statement

While the original clip appears to have been removed from India Today‘s social media channels, netizens shared a recorded clip of the incorrect reporting on various social media platforms.

@sgprimememestersIndia Today said that Indian-Origin Tharman will be the new Prime Minister of Singapore.♬ original sound – sgpmo

On 10 September, India Today addressed their mistake on their news website, issuing a statement that read: “During the live commentary of the G-20 Leaders Summit, it was inadvertently said on India Today that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is the “outgoing Prime Minister” and will be “replaced” by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

“Regretfully, both the above information are factually incorrect. Lee Hsien Loong is the current Prime Minister of Singapore. Tharman Shanmugaratnam is the President-elect of Singapore. The error is regretted,” the statement added.

Although the news outlet has rectified its mistake, the damage to its reputation has already been done.

Several international news outlets have taken note of this significant error and expressed shock at the lack of fact-checking by the reporters of India Today.