LAHORE: In a significant development, Geo News, one of Pakistan’s leading news channels, was caught in a major media mishap when it broadcast a false breaking news alert, leaving viewers stunned.
On Thursday, Geo News broadcast a breaking news alert claiming that Field Marshal Asim Munir had been appointed the country’s first Chief of Defence Forces.
The report, presented as an official announcement approved and signed by both President Asif Zardari and the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, flashed across screens with the urgency of a major national development.
Within moments, however, the transmission slipped into an unusual silence. The hosts paused mid-broadcast, confusion visibly taking over the newsroom. Seconds later, the breaking news graphic abruptly disappeared and was replaced by a hastily prepared slide declaring the circulated notification to be fake. The channel then shifted to reading out the same notification—this time labelling it false, leaving viewers baffled and raising urgent questions about how such an error could occur on a platform known for its editorial discipline.
Geo News issued an apology, soon after the live blunder.
The incident has sparked intense criticism across social media, where users have expressed disbelief that one of Pakistan’s largest and most credible media networks could fall for an unverified document during a live transmission. Clips of the awkward silence and sudden reversal are already circulating widely, with many calling it one of the biggest on-air blunders in recent memory for the channel.
Media experts say the episode highlights growing challenges faced by newsrooms in the age of rapid information flow and AI-generated content. Just last month, Dawn, Pakistan’s oldest and most respected newspaper—accidentally published an AI-generated note on one of its business pages, prompting its own wave of scrutiny and embarrassment. With two of the country’s top news organisations experiencing credibility slips within weeks, concerns are mounting about verification practices and editorial oversight in an era where fabricated content spreads faster than ever.
For now, Geo News has not issued a detailed explanation regarding how the false alert made it to air. But the incident has already reignited conversations about the responsibility of major media houses, the dangers of speed over accuracy, and the delicate trust that binds audiences to the outlets they rely on for information.
As the clip continues to trend online, the incident has raised important questions about the verification processes in Pakistan’s media landscape. As is often the case, Pakistan Today was the first to report this unfolding story, highlighting the growing challenges faced by major news outlets in the digital age.
However, at 8 pm, it was confirmed that the Prime Minister has officially approved the summary of his appointment. This development came shortly after the earlier blunder by Geo News at 5:45 pm.
