ITV

Tag: Hanging

  • News Broadcasters Association roots for freedom to proceed against TV channels

    News Broadcasters Association roots for freedom to proceed against TV channels

    NEW DELHI: The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has expressed deep concern over the show cause notice sent to three Indian news broadcasters by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry pertaining to their coverage of stories linked to Yakub Memon’s hanging.

     

    This comes close on the heels of the statement put out by the Broadcasters Editors Association, wherein it expressed concern over the “apparent tendency among governments, both at the centre and in some states, to serve notices on media organisations in a selective manner.”

     

    As was reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, the I&B Ministry had sent notices to three channels namely NDTV 24×7/NDTV India, Aaj Tak and ABP News relating to Memon’s execution coverage.

     

    The NBA notes that the notice was for reportedly having aired phone-in interviews of underworld gangster Chhota Shakeel on two channels, which according to the I&B Ministry casts aspersions against the integrity of the President and the Judiciary; and can incite violence and lead to law and order problems. In light of this, NBA has urged the Ministry to withdraw the show cause notices issued and refer them to the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) instead, which would consider it under its regulations.

     

    In a statement, the NBA said, “The present Government has gone on record to state that it believes the media should be independent without any government interference and it should self regulate itself.”

     

    Now it remains to be seen whether the Ministry hands the matter over to the NBSA to look into.

  • Editors dismayed over I&B’s notice to 3 news channels over Yakub Memon’s hanging

    Editors dismayed over I&B’s notice to 3 news channels over Yakub Memon’s hanging

    NEW DELHI: The Broadcast Editors’ Association (BEA) has reacted strongly to the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry’s notice to three television news channels relating to their coverage of stories linked to the 1993 serial bombing convict Yakub Memon’s hanging.

     

    Referring to the show cause notices sent to ABP News, Aaj Tak and NDTV, the Association expressed concern over the “apparent tendency among governments, both at the centre and in some states, to serve notices on media organisations in a selective manner.”

     

    Expressing dismay, BEA said it would take up this issue with the government at the highest level.

     

    Meanwhile, confirming the issuance of the show cause notices to the three channels, a senior official of the I&B Ministry told Indiantelevision.com that the channels had been given a time of 15 days to reply.

     

    The official said that the matter would then go to the Inter-Ministerial Committee headed by the Additional Secretary of the Ministry along with several members from other Ministries.

     

    It is learnt that the notice asks why action should not be taken against the channels for carrying reports that amounted to contempt of the institution of the President as also the judiciary. It was stated in the notice that some of the coverages amounted to violation of some sections of the Programme Code. 

     

    One of the sections says that no programme should be carried, which is likely to encourage or incite violence or contains anything against maintenance of law and order or which promote anti-national attitudes. 

     

    Another section also asks channels not to carry anything, which contains aspersions against the integrity of the President and Judiciary. 

     

    Two of the broadcasters to whom notices have been sent had reportedly aired phone-in interviews of underworld figure Chhota Shakeel, while another channel is learnt to have telecast remarks of Memon’s lawyer. 

     

    Memon was convicted in 2007 as the person behind the attack in Mumbai in 1993 in which 257 people were killed as bombs exploded back to back.