In ‘democratic societies, two of the most influential determinants of national identity are the nature of civil society and the debate which goes on within it. A country’s broadcasting services should provide part of the public sphere, the public forum for that debate to which individual citizens and institutions contribute their thinking on issues of general concern to the community. Their responsibility grows as radio and television become increasingly significant in national life.
Jocelyn Hay, Founder, Voice of the Listener and Viewer, UK
The debate over credibility of various sting operations and its impact on society of conducted by media in still on. Who can forget Tehelka tapes, films on MPs taking bribe for asking question in parliament, sting operation in BMW case which showed the lawyers from both sides bribing the witness to change his testimony etc. Well! Most of the sting operations were carried on the people who are in power and obviously they called it interference in their personal lives.
The genesis of this Broadcasting Bill lies in a Supreme Court judgment made on February 1994, requiring the government to open up the airwaves. However, government never felt need for such kind of bill when there was only one channel- Doordarshan. With burgeoning electronic and print media, government has lost control over what is shown in TV sets in millions of homes. Anyway, due to strong resistance from the media, Union Information and Broadcasting Ministery is ready to rethink Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill. Mr. Dasmunsi said,
He wanted the television rating points system revamped as the current set-up was ‘bogus’ and ‘fraudulent.’ Not only was its sample size too limited but also several parts, particularly rural areas and even entire States such as Bihar were out of the system.
Union Broadcasting Minister, Mr. Dasmunsi later told mediapersons,
When a sting operation serves a genuine public interest, it should not be discouraged. But, when it is only aimed at boosting TRPs, it should not be encouraged.
The primary objective of media regulation in a democracy is to preserve and protect citizens’ fundamental right to information and freedom of expression. However, News Broadcasters Association has agreed to prepare a code for news and current affairs. I think, a full freedom should be given to media and news channels only if they cover story that benefits society and present it in a decent way. There should be some limit as well some times as they stretch issues too much just to create hype and masala out of an event.
Via
