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Ministry to consult media on new Bill

NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has expressed reservations over the government’s move to bring news broadcasters and producers under the purview of The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Bill, 2006.

According to the Ministry, the media should be consulted to understand the ramifications of this provision and it was planning a consultation process.Essentially, the Bill seeks to extend a clause already applicable to the print media to the electronic media.

As per Clause 4 (1) of the FCRA, 1976, no foreign contribution shall be accepted by any correspondent, cartoonist, editor, owner, printer or publisher of a registered newspaper.

The new Bill, currently with a Parliamentary Standing Committee, extends this to “association or company engaged in the production or broadcast of audio news or audio visual news or current affairs programmes through any electronic mode or any other electronic form” as defined in the Information Technology Act, 2000, or any other mode of mass communication.

Though the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has sought to pick up the cudgels for the electronic media, the Home Ministry’s plea for inclusion of Clause 3 (1) g in the Bill is to create a level playing field for the entire sector.

As the Bill seeks to factor in the developments after 1984 – when the FCRA was amended – the electronic media is being brought under its purview.

The Bill is categorical in stating in the case of print media that only foreign contributions are prohibited. Payment by way of salary, wages or other remuneration is permitted. However, the Ministry has asked its media units to consult the stakeholders so that electronic media concerns are addressed at the outset.

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