I&B Ministry
Action taken against 50 channels since 2012 for programme or advertising code violation
NEW DELHI: Action has been taken against three television channels so far in 2015, of which two have been taken without issue of any show cause notice.
Colors was issued an order on 8 January relating to the programme Fear Factor Khatron Ke khiladi – Darr ka Blockbuster following a show cause notice sent initially on 22 May last year.
Lemon TV was issued a warning on 19 January for telecast of programme Khauf Ke 10 Destination.
NTV Telugu News was taken off air for seven days following an order on 19 January for telecast of a song-based programme Cine Colors containing obscene visuals.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore told the Rajya Sabha today that apart from these, action was taken 16 times in 2012, 32 times in 2013 and 22 times in 2014 against various channels on violation of Programme and Advertisement code.
Action was taken – including warnings – against 49 channels between 2012 and 2115. This includes nine channels, which figured more than once in the list of actions taken from 2012 onwards.
This includes advisories issued to all channels in 12 cases between 2012 and 2013 against telecast of certain advertisements or to ensure that the Censor Certificate is shown before telecast of a film, avoid unnecessary scenes of road rage and rash driving, reporting on children, comparison of speech of the Prime Minister with the speech of other political leaders on Independence Day 2013, telecasting programmes promoting blind belief, telecast of inflammatory and provocative news/programmes in a sensational manner, and direct telecast of the events round the clock relating to public demonstrations likely to encourage violence and against maintenance of law and order and likely to promote anti-national attitudes.
I&B Ministry
MIB halts news TRPs for four weeks over sensational US-Iran conflict coverage
Government flags panic-mongering in television war coverage
NEW DELHI: India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed the Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC) to suspend television ratings for news channels for four weeks amid concerns over sensational coverage of the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Iran.
According to media reports, the move intends to curb excessive dramatisation in television reporting that could trigger unnecessary public anxiety.
Officials have observed that several news broadcasters are amplifying developments in the conflict in ways that may fuel panic among viewers. By temporarily halting the publication of viewership data, the ministry hopes to ease the competitive pressure on channels to chase ratings through sensational content.
The suspension will remain in effect for one month for now. During this period, television news channels will continue to broadcast as usual, but their audience measurement figures will neither be counted nor released.
Authorities will monitor both the evolving geopolitical situation and the tone of television coverage during the pause. The four-week suspension could be extended if the government believes the risk of panic-mongering or sensational reporting persists.
