The News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) has ordered television news channels News18 India, Times Now Navbharat and Aaj Tak to take down videos of several shows aired in the last two years for spreading hatred and communal disharmony by “violating the code of ethics and broadcasting standards and the specific guidelines covering reportage on racial and religious harmony”, reports Indian Express.
It also imposed fines on the broadcasters in some cases.
In its meeting held on February 28, the regulatory body — set up by TV news broadcasters, and currently headed by Justice (retired) A K Sikri — passed seven decisions regarding complaints about programmes aired in the last two years.
NBDSA took action against the news channels based on complaints received against them.
In the case of News18 India, is imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 for four shows it broadcast in 2022, hosted by Aman Chopra and Amish Devgan. On the shows, the anchors had said that the murder of Shraddha Walker by her live-in partner Aftab Poonawala in 2022 was connected to “love jihad”.
The “NBDSA stated that the term ‘love jihad’ should not be used loosely and should be used with great introspection in future broadcasts as religious stereotyping can corrode the secular fabric of the country, cause irreparable harm to a community and create religious intolerance or disharmony,” the order stated.
The NBDSA also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Times Now Navbharat for its show on “love jihad” aired on May 31, 2023, hosted by Himanshu Dixit.
“It appears that at the very beginning of the broadcast, the anchor has concluded that men from a certain community lured women from another community by hiding their religious identity and then committed violence or murders against such women and every such violence or murder committed on women of a certain community related to love jihad,” it said.
Reached for comment on the NBDSA order, the Times Network said, “We accept the verdict and will do all that is necessary including ensuring that there is more vigilance in story selection in future.”
In its order against Aaj Tak, NBDSA directed the channel to remove the video of a show anchored by Sudhir Chaudhary on violence during the festival of Ram Navami in 2023, saying that he targeted the entire Muslim community due to the acts of certain miscreants.
The “NBDSA observed that there would have been no problem with the broadcast if the broadcaster had confined its analysis to the incidents of communal violence,” the order stated.
“However, by broadcasting the following tickers ‘today Muslim areas, tomorrow Muslim country’, a completely different colour had been given to the programme.”
On a complaint regarding a show on Aaj Tak last year (Black & White hosted by Sudhir Chaudhary) on former US President Barack Obama’s comments on the protection of minorities in India while Prime Minister7 Narendra Modi was on a state visit to America, the NBDSA found that apart from finding “a violation of the principles of Objectivity and Neutrality”, the broadcast had violated the Specific Guidelines for Anchors, which stated that “all programmes must be presented in an impartial, objective and neutral manner”.
By using words “Tukde Tukde Gang”, “Khalistani in Punjab” and “Pakistani supporters”, instead of confining its discussion to Obama’s statement, the broadcaster had failed to present a controversial issue with sensitivity and objectivity, the order stated.
The channel was slapped with a fine of Rs 75,000 and advised to ensure that “in future broadcasts, controversial subjects are fairly presented with strict adherence to the principles of Neutrality, Impartiality and Objectivity in the broadcast”. It was also directed to remove the video of the show.
A legal representative of the India Today Group, said, “Even though we are disappointed by the order, we respect the decision by the regulatory body and will follow it.”
Another grievance was about a programme aired by India Today titled ‘Nudity sparks outrage at USA pride parades – How India’s LGBTQ+ lead Responsibly’, on which NBDSA held that using visuals and images totally out of context, which were not part of the incident covered was a violation of the principle of accuracy. Apart from following the Code of Ethics & Broadcasting Standards and Guidelines, members were also circulated a set of guidelines for broadcasting on issues concerning the LGBTQIA+ community, for “strict compliance”.
Meanwhile, the NBDSA, in its decision on the complaint filed by Youth Congress president Srinivas B V on a “fictional video” aired in the Black and White episode on Aaj Tak in March 24 last year, a day after a Surat court convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of defamation for a 2019 speech about thieves with the surname Modi, said the “story of the robber and the imputation it carried” with Gandhi’s conviction was “not in good taste” and “should have been avoided”.
It also advised the channel to be “careful while airing such fictional videos” in future.
Representatives of News18 India did not respond to messages for comment on the order.
bd-pratidin/GR
