News Broadcasting
News channels heads advocate self-policing in times of crisis
MUMBAI: With most Indian news channels misreporting the number of blasts in Mumbai last Monday — besides hovering around the site and causing confusion — the city police have laid down rules for TV crews reporting from any scene of crime in the future.
Mumbai police officials have communicated that they have decided to cordon off the area of crime immediately. This, they say, would not just protect evidences but also prevent further loss, in case a second explosive device is present in the vicinity.
TV teams have also been strictly advised not to flash information without verifying it from a senior police officer. Addressing an urgent meeting with top television officials at 4 pm on Saturday, (30 August) joint commissioner of police (law and order) Ahmed Javed said that his department will appoint a senior officer to confirm the incident, in case of crisis, henceforth.
Javed said this step is mandatory to check baseless commotion and panic among the masses. It has been taken considering the dependence of the public on the electronic media.
Present at the meeting were representatives of CNBC, In Mumbai, ETV, Aaj Tak and Star News.
While the television fraternity agreed that some guidelines had become essential to curb misinformation, there are speculations if the media itself — and not the police — should lay the rules.
While speaking to indiantelevision.com, Aaj Tak’s bureau chief Shishir Joshi approved of Javed’s contentions. Joshi said, “The JCP has only two demands — first, that journalist must not jump the gun while reporting on sensitive issues; and second, that post-crisis, journalists and photographers must not hover around the spot and hamper investigations.”
Joshi explained that these rules won’t inhibit journalists’ freedom as they are “restrained only for dealing with sensitive information”.
However, Sahara Samay Mumbai’s chief Rajiv Bajaj hit the nail on the head, saying, “There is misreporting; but in this case, the channels should police itself, not the city police.”
Bajaj also said it was very important that channels report a trifle carefully. “Our channel was among the few, which took care to convey the right information on the day of the blast, last week. All the other news channels went berserk saying there were three, four and even six blasts! But we were careful. That’s what I mean when I say that the channels need to enforce their own law.”
At present, Javed has handed over a list of phone numbers of key police officials to channel representatives present at the meeting on Saturday. Joshi said, that these five key officials have been authorised by the police to verify any information on sensitive issues. He opines that this will curb chaos in the industry also.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
