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NEW
DELHI: The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) is working
on a Code of Content that would be acceptable to the TV news
community.
The NBA has informed the government about it and this is being
welcomed, a senior NBA member told Indiantelevision.com today.
Asked
who would implement such a Code even if it comes from the
industry, NBA president and TV Today CEO G Krishnan said::
"The very concept of self-regulation that the NBA is
professing means that the members will regulate themselves,
and there wouldn't be an implementing authority."
Senior
officials at the Information & Broadcasting ministry had
last week told Indiantelevision.com that the ministry would
try to completely withdraw 'policing' clauses from the Code
provided the industry came into a discussion mode and gave
its own formula.
"In
case of self-regulation, there would be no role of the government.
Article 19 (1A) of the Constitution guarantees freedom of
speech and expression, and the government's attempt to suppress
it by introducing such a bill is not welcome," said Krishnan.
IBN
7 managing editor Ashutosh added: "It is true we are
opposed to the issue of the Editor in Chief reporting to the
government in case of a dispute with the Content Editor. But
that is not all. We are opposed to the government pushing
any Code down our throats."
On
the government willing to take a relook at the Code, Ashutosh
said: "We welcome this, but we shall accept any Code
that is acceptable to journalists as a body, and not one given
by the government. This is a question of freedom of speech
and expression, and censorship as we see in the film industry
cannot be acceptable."
India
TV CEO Chintamani Rao said: "There has been some line
of discussion on the kind of Code we are looking at, but we
do not want to speak on that right now."
However,
Rao also said that the clarification from the government is
welcome. "It is a good thing if the government is serious
about this thing, and we are happy."
Asuthosh,
however, is clear: any dialogue could be possible but let
the government send a proposal to the news channels.
There
had been some talk that if the Code is based on Ofcom, the
industry would accept it. But Krishnan did not agree. "We
have a mature industry with a lot of meaningful collective
experience. I'm sure we can evolve a code from within our
own industry. I don't see the need of adopting a foreign model.
This, in fact, can be counter-productive, as the Indian environment
and culture are very different from those of Britain or any
other country. We are a unique nation, and it is very difficult
to duplicate foreign models."
The
government's initiative has been cautiously welcome, but the
industry wants a direct approach. Said Ashutosh, "So
far we have read media reports on this. Why should the government
talk to us through the media? Let them send us a proposal,
and we shall respond to it."
There
was some suggestion from a large broadcasting group about
the concept of having an independent 'ombudsman.' "A
retired judge of the High Court should be appointed for this,"
said a senior official of a news channel.
"The
ombudsman should have guidelines and punitive powers of even
suspending the licences of channels. But the government should
be out of it," he added.
But
what stance would the NBA take in the meeting with the I&B
minister on 27 August?
Krishnan
was deflective: "The meeting is to be a consultation
between the minister and the NBA. There's no pre-determined
agenda."
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