I&B Ministry
Regulatory body for electronic media mooted
MUMBAI: Press Council of India (PCI) chairman K Jayachandra Reddy has said that the Council has suggested to the Central Government it constitute a regulatory authority for the electronic media, on the lines of the PCI, to function as a watchdog panel.
The Hindu Businessline quoted Reddy as saying at a press conference in Hyderabad yesterday that it was not fair to leave the electronic media unregulated while subjecting the print media alone to all kinds of regulations. Reddy, however, expressed reservations over the regulatory authority on the electronic media taking shape in the near future.
Reddy’s comments are likely to lead to the resurfacing of the debate that was raised in June last year on whether the print and the electronic media should have a combined regulatory body – a media council. It is an idea that has been on and off for a long while now.
The media council idea has been strongly resisted by broadcasters through their representative body the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF).
Of course such a body would come in as a given if the proposed Communications Convergence Bill. The bill envisages a super-regulator, the Communication Commission of India (CCI), which would be created after is passed and monitor the content being beamed by the channels.
In the absence of such a commission, broadcasters favour a self regulator. “The broadcasting industry has been unregulated ever since its inception. And there has been no major problems relating to security or objectionable content. Hence, there is no need for an outside council to regulate content now,” has been the stated stand of the IBF. The IBF also fears that since the number of players in the print media is larger than those in the electronic media, any such merged council could be skewed in favour of those representing print media.
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.
