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“Sting operation only as a last resort”

NEW DELHI: As an alternative to the government’s attempt to regulate broadcasting through legislation, 12 leading broadcasters having 25 news channels have decided to use sting operations only as a last resort. And, if a sting operation is conducted, these news broadcasters will not allow the use of sex and sleaze, narcotics and psychotropic substances or any act of violence as a means of getting a story.

This commitment has been made by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) through the ‘Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards’ it has adopted for itself. A 12-member relatively new collective, the NBA has among its members TV Today Network Ltd., NDTV Limited, Times Global Broadcasting Company Ltd., TV18 Group and Sun TV Network.

Sting operations, according to the code, will be used as a tool of journalism only if the story serves an “identifiable larger public interest.” Further, “news channels, will as a ground rule, ensure that sting operations are carried out only as a tool for getting conclusive evidence of wrongdoing or criminality, and that there is no deliberate alteration of visuals, or editing, or interposing done with the raw footage in a way that it also alters or misrepresents the truth or presents only a portion of the truth.”

As for superstitions, the code states that news channels will not broadcast any material that glorifies superstition and occultism in any manner.

“In broadcasting any news about such genre, news channels will also issue public disclaimers to ensure that viewers are not misled into believing or emulating such beliefs.” Through the code, the NBA has committed itself to impartiality and objectivity in reporting, neutrality, and respecting privacy. Violence will not be glorified and the identity of victims of sexual violence will be protected.

The code includes a section on sex and nudity with a “qualifier” that channels are not expected to be “moralistic or prudish.” The self-regulation clause on ‘sex and nudity,’ NBA noted, is aimed “not at moral policing, but rather at ensuring that overtly regressive and explicit acts and visuals do not slip into broadcasts.”

Besides the self-regulation code, the NBA is also planning to set up a News Broadcasting Standards (Disputes Redressal) Authority to act on complaints against content aired on any member channel. The proposed Authority will have the power to recommend to the governmental authority concerned the suspension/revocation of licence to a broadcaster and withdrawal of accreditation to a channel/journalist.

The code and the News Broadcasting Standards (Disputes Redressal) Regulations have been submitted to the Union Information & Broadcasting Ministry. Last year, after broadcasters rejected the regulatory mechanism proposed by the government, the Ministry had accepted NBA’s offer to evolve a self-regulatory mechanism for broadcasters.

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