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Current Affairs Brain Booster for UPSC & State PCS Examination

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Topic: Code of Conduct for News Channels

Why in News?

• The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) said its code of ethics should be given a statutory recognition by making it a part of the Programme Code under the Cable TV Rules so that these codes become binding on all news channels.

Suggestion for Statutory Status

• The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has suggested to the Supreme Court that its "code of ethics" should be made part of statutory rules on cable TV by the central government to ensure it becomes binding on member and non-member news channels alike.
• The NBA affidavit is in response to an order by the Supreme Court on September 18 to suggest measures to strengthen the self-regulatory mechanism to prevent or penalise airing of communal or derogatory content in the electronic media.
• Recognition to the NBSA would also strengthen the News Broadcasting Standard Regulation and the penalties mentioned therein could be made more stringent, the affidavit stated .
• The self-regulatory body said that amenability to the NBSA mechanism should be made a term of the "uplinking/downlinking permission for news channels, and the orders made, if any, against any news broadcaster may be considered by the (information and broadcasting) ministry at the time of grant and renewal of such permissions".
• The NBSA is currently headed by retired Supreme Court judge A K Sikri.
• NBA says they have a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. They can impose a maximum fine of Rs one lakh and this shows how toothless they are.
• NBA is applicable only to its members.

Current Regulation

• Today news channels are governed by mechanisms of self-regulation.
• One such mechanism has been created by the News Broadcasters Association. The NBA has devised a Code of Ethics to regulate television content.
• The News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA), of the NBA, is empowered to warn, admonish, censure, express disapproval and fine the broadcaster a sum upto Rs. 1 lakh for violation of the Code.
• Another such organization is the Broadcast Editors’ Association. The Advertising Standards Council of India has also drawn up guidelines on content of advertisements.
• These groups govern through agreements and do not have any statutory powers.
• For screening films including short films, documentaries, television shows and advertisements in theatres or broadcasting via television, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) sanction is required. The role of the CBFC is limited to controlling content of movies and television shows, etc. It does not have the power to issue guidelines in relation to standards of news and journalistic conduct.

NBA

• The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) represents the private television news & current affairs broadcasters. It is the collective voice of the news & current affairs broadcasters in India .
• It is an organization funded entirely by its members.
• The NBA has presently 27 leading news and current affairs broadcasters (comprising 77 news and current affairs channels) as its members. The NBA presents a unified and credible voice before the government on matters that affect the growing industry.
• Some of its objectives are:

• To promote, aid, help, encourage, develop, protect and secure the interests of the news broadcasters in the Indian television industry and other related entities.
• To promote awareness about the latest developments in the television industry relating to news broadcasting and to disseminate knowledge amongst its members and the general public regarding such developments.
• To provide for the members a place of meeting so as to enable them to work in consensus to achieve common goals for the overall betterment of their industry and to have a common platform/forum at which they may air their grievances and arrive at solutions.
• To promote the growth of friendly relations amongst the members and amongst persons engaged in the production and broadcasting of the television software and specially to encourage co-operation among the members so as to maximize mutual benefits.
• To protect all its members from persons or entities who carry on unfair and/or unethical practices or who discredit the television industry.