The week-long attempts by broadcasters at rallying political support against the Governments alleged move for censorship of the media seems to have finally paid off with the proposal for Government authorised footage finally being rejected. It is learnt that at a meeting with the broadcasters on Friday,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Anand Sharma assured that the authorised footage plan has been ruled out. It is learnt that the political leadership was of the view during the meeting that the Government doesnt want to control news. Speaking to The Indian Express,Sharma said,I had rejected the proposal of authorised feed,when it was placed before me,prior to leaving for Africa on January 11. A Government proposal had suggested that live coverage of war,violent law and order situations or operations where security forces have to overcome terrorists or other hostile groups should not be carried and instead,delayed footage of the incident chosen and authorised by a Government officer should be aired. Broadcasters had vehemently opposed the proposal arguing that it amounted to blatant censorship. The Government sources clarified that the set of proposals was not a part of the Cabinet note,but a discussion note prepared by the Committee of Secretaries. A Cabinet note requires a political approval. It is still at the stage of the committee of secretaries, the source said. The I&B Ministry,however,will stick to its original plan of instituting a Standing Media Consultative Committee under the I&B Secretary to frame guidelines for coverage of emergency situations like terror strikes,natural disasters,riots. The committee will have on board representatives from the Editors Guild of India and broadcasters associations. The ministry claims its intention is not to curtail the freedom of the media but to bring in responsibility in the coverage of situations like the Mumbai terror attacks. The Government sources felt that the issue has been blown out of proportion. Sources said while during London bombings,channels suspended carriage of live footage for six hours together,in the Mumbai incident,cable operators were asked to black out channels only for half-an-hour. With the PM asking for wider consultations with the stakeholders,the Government will now hold discussions with civil society groups and print media representatives as well as with the broadcasters. Broadcasters explained to the PM the problems they faced in coverage of the Mumbai crisis and how even the Government had failed to provide a single point of information to them. We also brought to their notice that contrary to perceptions,channels had carried visuals of the commando operations at Nariman House with a delay ranging from 15 to 40 minutes. The Government has assured that the proposed amendments to the Cable Television Network Rules have been put on hold as of now and will be carried forward through consultations with us. The PM has assured that the Government will not take any step that will compromise the freedom of media, said a broadcaster.
