News Broadcasting
NBSA hauls up CNN-IBN, Aaj Tak and Sakshi TV for breach of guidelines
MUMBAI: Broadcasters in India have always been under pressure for not following ethical norms and standards and depicting anything they wish to. However, there are certain organisatons like the News Broadcasters Association (NBA), Indian Broadcasters Foundation (IBF) which have framed regulatory policies for their members.
The News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) has come out with a series of orders regarding allegations against its member news channels. Channels Aaj Tak, CNN IBN and Sakshi TV unlike ABP News have been found to be in breach of the NBSA code of ethics.
CNN-IBN
Two cases were lodged against CNN-IBN regarding two separate incidences. The first complaint was filed by Mallige Medical Centre administrator R K Lal about a show titled ‘Bangalore woman incapacitated after botched surgery’ which was according to the complainant, a one sided story . The broadcaster was found to not have followed the guidelines and had failed to make adequate efforts to contact the hospital. The NBA has warned CNN-IBN and has asked it to tender an apology by airing it once on 10 January stating “CNN-IBN regrets and apologises for airing the programme titled ‘Bangalore woman incapacitated after botched surgery’ without ascertaining the version of Mallige Medical Centre on 29 to 30 March 2013 and 1 April, 6 April and 7 April 2013.” It has also ordered it to remove the video from its website and submit a proof of telecast of the apology to the NBA within seven days of telecast.
The second case against the English news channel was filed by Hariharan S regarding a child rape victim’s father being identified by one of the channel’s journalists while covering the protest at India Gate on 23 December 2012. Since it was a live coverage, the channel claimed that it didn’t think of covering his face and was only thinking of public interest but it could have been more careful. They also stated that no provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act were violated by revealing the father’s name. The NBSA found it to be in breach and asked it to remove the video from its website.
Aaj Tak
The Hindi broadcaster from the TV Today stable also had two complaints against its programmes. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) general manager Pradip Kundu was the first complainant that its sting operation ‘Dalal Junction’ was biased as it had not tried to contact IRCTC and had carried the news piece without verifying facts. The channel was found to be in breach and was directed to tender an apology for five consecutive days from 13 January to 17 January at 6:00 pm by running an apology scroll on full screen in large font size with a voice over in slow speed. The video if uploaded on its website shall be pulled down.
The second complainant was Seema Mittal for a show titled ‘Vardat’ on 7 November 2012 with repeat telecasts where she alleged that the channel had carried a news piece with incorrect details. The channel has been directed to carry the unedited version of the complainant prominently for three minutes preceded by an apology scroll similarly done as the one above. In this case Aaj Tak has been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh to the NBA within seven days because this was a second such willful violation in family/matrimonial matters.
Sakshi TV
Four students of NALSAR had approached the NBSA regarding the airing of a programme titled ‘drunken girls hulchul midnight’ that involved a fight between students and journalists claiming that the channel had portrayed them in a derogatory manner. The manner in which Sakshi TV’s cameraman thrust the camera in the car to capture footage of the girls along with the complainants and airing the footage without their version was highly objectionable. Sakshi TV has been asked to cough up Rs 1 lakh along with an apology for the days 15, 16 and 17 January 2014 in both English and Telugu.
The only channel that wasn’t found to be in breach of its guidelines was ABP News though a complaint was filed against it by Atul Jain regarding a programme it aired called ‘Bura Na Mano’ claiming that the channel had tried to show then railway minister Pawan Bansal as guilty in a matter under investigation by the CBI.
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.
