NBA guidelines fail to enthuse government

The government has made it clear that it will neither endorse nor reject the six-point guideline issued by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) recently for telecast of news related to emergency situations like armed conflict, hostage crisis, communal violence and public disorder.

Instead, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) will closely monitor all news channels to see any possible violation of its own programming codes and guidelines issued under the cable TV Act.

“Under the law, we hold the right to issue advisories and take action for any possible violation of programme codes. So, there is no question of us rejecting or endorsing the guidelines issued by NBA,” Sushma Singh, Secretary, I&B ministry, told Business Standard.

This is significant because the NBA was formed in order to keep away the news channels from any possible government interference. NBA has also constituted a News Broadcasting Standards Disputes Redressal Authority to monitor and regulate news channels on its own. But government sources say that the I&B ministry is monitoring news channels more closely now than it did before.

Last week, NBA, the apex body of some of the leading news broadcasters, had issued these guidelines for its members to handle the coverage of emergency situations.

This came after the I&B ministry issued advisories to over 40 news channels, including the NBA members, in the wake of their ‘live’ coverage of last month’s Mumbai terror attacks.

The I&B ministry said in its advisory that the news broadcasters did not exercise restraint in airing visuals from the Mumbai attack and other reports related to the tragedy.

NBA has called its guidelines a ‘sincere’ measure of self-regulation. However, these guidelines do not elaborate on what penalty or punitive action will the NBA take if any of its members fail to adhere to its guidelines.

But the I&B ministry can take action under the law, like issuing advisories, show-cause notices and a possible ban or cancellation of the downlinking licence of any broadcaster if found guilty of violating any section of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.

Under the NBA guidelines, there will be no ‘live’ reporting in emergency situations that would facilitate publicity of any terrorist or militant outfit. Also, news channels will act in public interest in any such situations.

News broadcasters will be required to treat the dead with dignity and no such visuals should be shown, say the NBA guidelines.