A report in The Times of India read, “As per a report, post Ali Zafar’s defamation case against Meesha, a Pakistani Court has awarded 3 years of jail term to Meesha for causing ‘irreparable damages to his career, thanks to the false case’.
Hindi daily Amar Ujala published a report that was titled, “मीटू: अली जफर पर आरोप लगाने वाली गायिका मीशा शफी को तीन साल की कैद की सजा”.
[Translation: #MeToo: Singer Misha Shafi, who had accused Ali Zafar, sentenced to three years’ imprisonment ]
International Business Times India tweeted their report on the incident and said, “Pakistani singer Meesha Shafi who accused Ali Zafar of sexual misconduct has been given three years in prison”. Their report, however, said that she will have to go to prison ‘if she loses the case’.
Other news organisations that reported incorrectly on the same case were ABP News and DNA. Both these news organisations, in their headlines, said that “Shafi faces three years in jail”, but failed to report that she hadn’t been convicted yet.
British tabloid Daily Mail also published a story on the case while misinterpreting a report from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The tabloid story was cited as a reference in many Indian news reports.