I&B Ministry
Content share: I&B refuses to commit on a review
NEW DELHI: The government today said that no decision has been taken yet to review any provision in the uplink and downlink policies as a report on the issue of content share is awaited.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a Zee Sports press conference here today, information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi diplomatically said, “The I&B secretary will submit a report on content share next week after concluding discussions with the industry. We’ll see then.”
Asked whether the government is likely to bring about some dilution in media norms, described stringent by broadcasters, Das Munshi said the bridge will be crossed when it comes.
A recent government norm stipulates that all sporting events of national importance be shared with pubcaster Prasar Bharati on a mandatory basis.
However, holding out a ray of hope to broadcasters, Das Munshi added that as a politician and a sports administrator — he’s the chief of the Indian football federation — it’s his job to safeguard the interest of the public and the industry as well.
Keeping up his ambivalent stand on media issues, Das Munshi also evaded answering whether the I&B ministry would back health ministry-proposed ban on smoking in films and TV serials.
“It’s the health ministry’s job to look after the health of the nation and the I&B ministry’s job to see that smoking is not glamourised,” the minister amplified his ministry’s reluctance to support the health ministry in a round about fashion.
The ban was supposed to have come in effect from 1 January 2006, but has now been postponed till March. A case in Delhi high court, filed by a film-maker, too is pending a final verdict.
Das Munshi’s ambivalence on the smoking-ban issue, which has the film and TV world up in arms, was in sharp contrast to health ministry’s belligerence and latest developments wherein an anti-tobacco group of Goa has served a legal notice on actor Amitabh Bachchan for allegedly violating government norms and glamourising smoking in his new film, Family.
The notice on Bachchan has been served by a little known organization going by the name of National Organization for Tobacco Eradication.
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.
