If news and its dissemination are a barometer for free speech, the number of show-cause notices issued by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry to news channels should be revelatory. The reply to an unstarred question in Parliament on August 12 has revealed that during the time of the UPA government, the most number of notices was served on entertainment channels — for transgressing the programme code. The present National Democratic Alliance government, on the other hand, has issued more notices to news channels. Action-taken reports show that the notices were followed with warnings and advisories.
The submission made by the Ministry reveals the following: In 2013, 28 notices were sent and these primarily had to do with entertainment channels; there was an exception when a notice was served on a news channel for its report on the health of the President in 2012.
In 2014, 18 show-cause notices were served, 11 of them on news channels. Six of the channels got the notice after the NDA came to power. In 2015, 18 show-cause notices were served, 15 of these on news channels, including a warning to Sudarshan TV for “making allegation about non-salutation of National Flag on the Republic Day by the Hon’ble Vice President”.
Till July this year, seven show-cause notices have been served.
“It is a disturbing trend. Why not leave the job to self-regulatory bodies which have experts to look into transgressions,” said a broadcaster not willing to come on record.
Programme codesThe Programme Code and the Advertising Code, transgressions of which are cited for serving show-cause notices, are prescribed under Rules 6 and 7 in accordance with the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, and the rules framed therein. The rules cover a number of dos and don’ts — no programme should be carried in the cable service which offends good taste, decency, contains criticism of friendly countries; attacks religions or communities; or has visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups or promotes communal attitudes; contains anything obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false and suggestive innuendos and half-truths; is likely to encourage or incite violence or contains anything against maintenance of law and order or which promote anti-national attitudes; and covers various provisions of the Cinematograph Act.
While the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council presided over by a retired judge, serves as a watchdog for entertainment channels, the News Broadcasting Standards Authority of India keeps a close watch on news.
The I&B Ministry reserves the right to send show-cause notices whenever it finds news or entertainment channels violating the programme code.
The Ministry examines the response and places it before the Inter-ministerial Committee, which comprises bureaucrats drawn from the Ministries of I&B, Defence, External Affairs, HRD, Consumer Affairs and Women and Child Development, besides one civil society representative.
