Self-regulation in the broadcast media is the best way forward in achieving a balance between the media's duty to empower the participatory role of the people in governance and the reasonable restrictions that prevent the abuse of its immense strength, said Justice J.S. Verma, former Chief Justice of India, and Chairman of the News Broadcasting Standards Authority, a self-regulatory mechanism of the News Broadcasters Association.
In his keynote address on content regulation in India at the FICCI Media and Entertainment Business Conclave 2011 here on Friday, Justice Verma said one thing that the media needed to remember was if it failed to exercise self-restraint and regulate its own conduct, then that would provide a justifiable reason for intervention from outside.
While in a democracy, it was the media's duty to inform the people of everything of significance so that they could effectively discharge their participatory role in governance, this right to inform excluded the right to misinform as the media's right was no greater than an individual's right, which was again subject to reasonable restrictions.
“When you acquire great strength you should also realise that there is the danger of its misuse. Therefore, self-regulating is the best way so that there is no justification for any outside intervention to regulate,” he said.
Justice Verma also noted that there had been improvements over the last couple of years and cited the compliance of the media with the code of ethics framed by the National Broadcasters Association in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks and the advisories issued from time to time.
Justice Verma, while being critical of the words used by Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju in his remarks against the media, said the bottom line that should not be overlooked was the fact that a large tract of public opinion was in favour of the PCI chairman's views.
Justice Verma's issues with the practice of journalism, especially by the electronic media, included the lack of decency and public interest purpose in airing repeated visuals of an assault on a prominent public figure. and the media trials that seriously interfere with the cause of justice, the negative terms used in referring to someone in high office who had been named an accused in a corruption case and the lack of due diligence that harmed the reputation of an individual.
While the freedom of the press must remain to help the people discharge their participatory role in governance, the media should use its vast strengths to protect and not harm someone, he said.
Recalling that in his 25 years as judge, he had only once pulled up someone for contempt of court, and even then refrained from sending the person to jail, Justice Verma said: “Today, I'm not sure I would have left things at that.”
Keywords: broadcast media, News Broadcasting Standards Authority, FICCI Media and Entertainment Business Conclave
Make regulations, publish it, and adhere to it. Otherwise, it will always be unknown, vague and subject to change according to one's own convenience. In any case, past experience shows self-regulation has never worked and it is only external regulation that has had some effect.
In a country of scams where corruptions is an accepted policy, justified as "chaltaa Hai", self regulation will not work. Some time back a judge in Gujarat issued arrest warrants for the president of India and CJI on payment of Rs 40,000/=. The journalists suffer dual handicaps. They are part of the greedy society and they have to protect the interest of the Newspaper Owner. It is therefore essential that code of conduct should be implemented and publicized too, so that the honest among the journalists can work according to their conviction,
Media, like all things in the world should be answerable and accountable. There is nothing called self regulation. You make a wrong report, say the wrong thing, arrive at the wrong conclusion - it hurts other people. So you pay a price. Just like an Engineer or Doctor or politician or Judge or soldier.
As a consumer of Indian media , let me say that professional journalism is almost dead in most printed and tv media in India . Indian consumers are stuck with mostly SPUN NEWS- with commercially or politically slanted biases .As The Hindu reported in an article some time back , & its also true ‘ Certain headlines (that must )will never appear in Indian media “. The talk shows or debates are an eyewash- again all biased and in most instances ‘leading ’ the participants to a foregone conclusion in favour of a corporate or a political entity or policy - NDTV please note .Other shows are almost nothing but persistent, vacuous and unsophisticated gossip. 'Questioning and thought provoking content' has almost disappeared, specially in the visual media .
If the Indian media ONLY WANTS SELF-REGULATION now ;is concerned about its reputation and status ,to make a beginning, LET IT bring to justice THOSE INDICTED BY THE RADIA TAPES AND THE’2 MEMBER SUB-COMMITTE REPORT ON PAID NEWS ‘ .
Justice Verma is right, self regulation is the best way forward for the media
Media should understand its responsibility. it is one the last hope of india. Plz do'nt run behind the market.People trust on you. do'nt lose it.
Hope this will be published even my opinion is not towards the topic.
The self regulation cannot be ensured across the board in the media. There can be bad elements and good elements. Say for example, THE HINDU is considered a decent magazine and self regulated in reporting and far better compared to other magazines, eventhough there might be bias towards some political organization.
Having said that, there should be regulation like western countries in parallel to giving the media a free hand in reporting irregularaties. The bottomline is the regulators should be independent body which is not controlled by any bureacrats or politicians or parliament.
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