New Delhi, April 23
Taking exception to television coverage of the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the Delhi riots, the government on Saturday issued a strong advisory to news channels asking them to abide by the programme code laid down by the relevant laws.
The government cited specific instances of “hyberbolic” statements by news anchors and “scandalous headlines/taglines” while reporting on the Ukraine-Russia conflict and disrupting the investigation process into the incidents in northwest Delhi by airing unverified CCTV footage.
It also said that certain debates on television channels on the incidents in northwest Delhi had unparliamentary, provocative and socially unacceptable language.
Last week, clashes broke out between two communities in northwest Delhi’s Jahangirpuri during a Hanuman Jayanti procession.
The government expresses serious concern about the manner in which television channels have gone about their operations in the manner of transmitting content, read the advisory issued by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
It strongly advised the channels to immediately refrain from publishing and transmitting any content which is violative of the provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 and the rules thereunder.
Section 6 of the Programme Code under the Act states that “no programme should be carried in the cable service which offends against good taste or decency; contains criticism of friendly countries; contains attack on religions or communities or visuals or words contemptuous of religious groups or which promote communal attitudes; contains anything, obscene, defamatory, deliberate, false and suggestive innuendos and half truths”.
