News Broadcasting
NBA sets up News Broadcasting Standards Authority to redress disputes
NEW DELHI: In its effort to self-regulate, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has formed the ‘News Broadcasting Standards (Disputes Redressal) Authority’ to enforce NBA’s code of ethics and broadcasting standards.
The authority will become operational from 2 October.
Says NBA president and TV Today Network CEO G Krishnan, “Self-regulation is the only and the best way of keeping a check on the content shown by news television channels. We have drafted one of the best self-regulation mechanisms. The government should not intervene in the business of press as it is against the fundamental right of the constitution which grants freedom of speech.”
Former chief justice and former NHRC chairperson Justice J S Verma will head a nine-member authority which comprises historian Ramachandra Guha, former Nasscom chief Kiran Karnik, JNU doyen Dipankar Gupta and economist and ex-under secretary general of UN, Nitin Desai, as the four members from non-news television background. The panel’s editor-members are: India TV managing editor Vinod Kapri, Zee News group editor B V Rao, Star News managing editor Milind Khandekar and Times Now editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami.
When asked whether the mechanism is restricted to only English and Hindi news channels, Krishnan said, “The self-regulation mechanism is applicable to all the members of NBA and new members are also welcome to join us.”
As per the self-regulation mechanism, if any broadcaster, television journalist or news agency is found guilty of showing inappropriate content, the authority can warn, admonish, censure, express disapproval against or impose a fine upon the broadcaster, television journalist or news agency.
The authority can even recommend to the concerned authority for suspension, revocation of licence, accreditation of a broadcaster, television journalist or news agency.
“The broadcaster, television journalist or news agency is found showing content which is inappropriate will be asked to pay a fine of Rs 0.1 million. And then further action will be taken if the situation persists,” said Krishnan.
The summary of every enquiry would be available on NBA’s website, through press release and in the annual report of NBA which will be published in various newspapers.
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.
