News Broadcasting
NBA imposes rules for channels on terror coverage
NEW DELHI: After facing criticism that their live TV footage helped militants in the Mumbai terror attacks, Indian news broadcasters have produced a set of rules on how to cover such events.
Under the six-point guidelines framed by the umbrella body NBA (News Broadcasters Association), the channels shouldn’t be telecasting details of identity, number and status of hostages. Nor should they provide information of pending rescue operations or details on the number of security personnel involved or the methods employed by them.
The News Broadcasting Standards Disputes Redressal Authority, constituted by the NBA, today said television TV channels should avoid any “live contact with the victims or security personnel or other technical personnel involved or the perpetrators during the course of any incident.”
Addressing a press meet, Authority Chairman Justice JS Verma also said media should avoid “unnecessary repeated or continuous broadcast of archival footage that may tend to re-agitate the mind of the viewers. Archival footage, if shown, should clearly indicate ‘file’ and the date and time should be given where feasible.”
The Authority said “no live reporting should be made that facilitates publicity of any terrorist or militant outfit or its ideology or tends to evoke sympathy for the perpetrators or glamourises them or their cause or advances the illegal agenda or objectives of the perpetrators.”
The dead should also be treated with dignity and their visuals should not be shown. Special care should be taken in the broadcast of any distressing visuals and graphics showing grief and emotional scenes of victims and relatives which could cause distress to children and families.
At the outset, the Authority said all telecast of news relating to armed conflict, internal disturbance, communal violence, public disorder, crime and other similar situations should be tested on the touchstone of ‘public interest’.
Furthermore, the media had the responsibility to disseminate information which was factually accurate and objective.
Noting that these were broad guidelines and were not meant to be exhaustive, Justice Verma urged the channels not to comment individually on them as these had been drawn up at their initiative. However, he said in reply to questions that he could not prevent anyone from speaking if he so wished. He urged the media to “keep your conduct and do not fall into traps.”
He said in reply to questions that nothing should be telecast which hampers the operation of justice. When it was pointed out that similar guidelines had been submitted to the Delhi High Court and the Government had also drawn up its own Self-Regulations Guidelines, he said all these would generally be in tune with each other.
Replying to a question on whether action was being taken by the Authority against any channel vis-a-vis coverage of Mumbai terror attacks, Verma said, “It is too early and the media should give the Authority some more time.” Asked to specify details, he said, “wait and watch.”
He said similar guidelines had also been issued in 1997 but had to be revised as some channels differed with the earlier guidelines. He also pointed out that an advisory had been issued by the Authority on 27 November, a day after the Mumbai terrorist attacks.
During a meeting convened by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and External Affairs on 10 December when he reprimanded the channels for their continuing broadcasts of the Mumbai terror attacks, the NBA had informed him that it was working on an Emergency News Protocol.
Justice Verma, a former Chief Justice of India and former Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, was accompanied at the press meet by Professor Deepankar Gupta of the Jawaharlal Nehru University and Annie Joseph of the NBA.
Verma said he had been working upon drawing up the Guidelines for telecast of news relating to sensitive matters for some time but the tragic episode of the Mumbai terror attack made it extremely urgent that such guidelines be immediately circulated at least in relation to episodes akin to the Mumbai terror attack.
Clearly alarmed by the cascading effect of what it terms as the unending coverage of the Mumbai terror attacks, the Government had on 10 December decided to set up a coordination committee with broadcasters to ensure some self-regulation to ensure balanced coverage.
Meanwhile, the Government reiterated in Parliament today that it had constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to look into the specific violations of Programme and Advertisement Codes by the satellite channels at national level and to recommend action against them for such violation.
Orders for constitution of the State and District Level Monitoring Committees have been issued so as to keep a close watch on content carried by the local cable TV channels at district or State level.
Under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and rules framed thereunder, the District Magistrate, Sub Divisional Magistrate or Police Commissioner have been designated as authorized officers who can immediately take action against the local cable TV channels in case of violation. As separate committees/authorities take cognizance of complaints against National or local TV channels as the case may be, complaints do not have to be routed from District to State to National level before action is taken.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
