Broadcasters rally for support against govt ‘censorship’

Having already written to the PM on the issue,broadcasters will also meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BJP’s PM-in-waiting L K Advani on Wednesday.

That apart,news channels plan to run headline news items on the government’s attempt to ‘censor’ the media.

“We are trying to reach out to leaders across the political spectrum to acquaint them with the measures that the government is proposing against broadcasters. Both Rajnath Singh and Prakash Karat have in principle assured us of their support. The political leaders expressed surprise over the fact that the government had not taken their views into account before planning these amendments to the Act. We plan to meet L K Advani and Sonia Gandhi as well on the issue. We are opposed to any kind of regulation by the government,” said a broadcaster.

The I&B Ministry has proposed amendments to the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act,1995 to block out blood and gore,occultism,superstition and sexually explicit images,desist from dramatisation of news,drop live contact with victims and security personnel and depend on details given by an ‘authorised officer’ for coverage of operational details in war-like situations.

Broadcasters have argued that most of the proposed amendments have already been incorporated by them in the self-regulatory emergency guidelines unveiled by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) last month.

Broadcasters,at the hour-long meeting,also decided to run on their news channels,stories on how the media is being muzzled by the government through the proposed amendments.

Channels have also opposed any mechanism for an ‘authorised feed’ as proposed by the government.

“The worst aspect of the proposal is the plan to provide visuals and footage through a nodal agency in a situation which is deemed ‘nationally important’. What it means is television news channels can no longer cover communal riots and even agitations like the one seen in Rajasthan during the Gujjar andolan,etc.

On Monday,in a letter to the PM,broadcasters had said,“If instruments of the state begin to regulate us,the damage to democracy and all stakeholders in democracy would be irreparable…We are aware that our right to keep a vigil also brings with it a responsibility to function according to the highest standards of ethics and national interest. We firmly believe that in a democracy media needs self-regulation and not regulation.”