The recent broadcast of mob violence against a women-member of Assam Legislative Assembly and a teenager by News Live and other television news channels gives rise to a question. How were the contents passed off by the editors?
These harrowing incidents were not the only of its kind. The 2007 molestation of an Adivasi teenager is a well documented history, never to be forgotten. The electronic media is on a free run much like those in the jungles in the name of armed conflict. The competition is who can unearth how much of violence and broadcast how much of it and how fast; not how ethically.
Are the editors of these television news channels aware that senior editorial control must be exercised for selecting material in relation to telecast of violent events, accidents and natural calamities, in addition to examination by the Content Auditor? Any scene, clipping, footage depicting excessive violence, nudity, obscenity and vulgarity that is not suitable of viewing by children and in family setting must be avoided.
The usage of non-judgemental language and the modest use of graphic detail go hand in hand. All depends on how sound the journalist is. According to the International Federation of Journalists's Guidelines for Reporting on Violence Against Women, the language of reporting should avoid suggestions that the survivors may be to blame, or were otherwise responsible for the attack or acts of violence against them. People who suffer in an ordeal will not wish to be described as a ‘victim’ unless they use the word themselves. The use of labels can be harmful. A term that more accurately describes the reality of a person who has suffered in this way is ‘survivor.’
Does the electronic media of Assam identify violence against women accurately through the internationally accepted definition in the 1993 UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women?
The audience at the receiving end is subjected to moolah-raking news. Fed on daily doses of varying types of sensationalism, the viewer's mentalscape is grossly invaded. To stop this viewers can file a legal complaint against incompatible content beamed by a news cast.
The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 is a basic framework to regulate the operations of cable television broadcast across the Indian Territory. According to Chapter II of this act, channels on TV and radio are bound to adhere to advertising and programme codes prescribed by the law. Non-adherence to the standard codes can lead to legal proceedings under the Criminal Procedure Code.
The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act was amended in 2000 and 2002 to include new developments in broadcast media, such as direct-to-home services. Apart from that, The Cinematographic Act, 1952, also gives powers to government nodal agencies to regulate content in films and video productions.
Likewise the Electronic Media Monitoring Center was set up under the guidance of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 2007 to check violation of content and advertising guidelines by private television channels and radio stations It works as a nodal agency to facilitate consumer complaints against broadcast media. An online complaint can be filed at http://emmc.gov.in/ which after verification is forwarded to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for action. Violations under which complaints are entertained are: Child Abuse, Child Marriage, Violence against Women, Contains anything obscene or nudity, Superstition, Half truth, Communal speech, Promote communal violence, Provocative statements, Drugs, alcohol and solvent abuse, Sexual conduct, Coarse and offensive language, Imitative behavior, Impartial reports, Contains criticism of friendly countries, Against any law and order, Bad language or explicit scene of violence and Attack on any particular religion.
Private entity News Broadcaster Association (NBA) is another agency which entertaints consumer complaints against unlawful reporting. It is an industry consortium for news broadcast channels that aims to promote self-regulation in news reporting.
Issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Self-Regulation Guidelines for the Broadcasting Sector (Draft 2008) is a regulatory guideline television news channels are expected to abide with. Since Freedom of Press comes under Article 19 of the Constitution of India, the government is free to impose restrictions on grounds specified in Clause (2) of Article 19.
16 Feb 2018 - 11:57am | AT News
GUWAHATI: Amid an unprecedented security bandobast, the High School Leaving Certificate Examination and High Madrasa Examinations 2018 begin on Friday across the state. Altogether 3,44,190 candidates...
27 Mar 2016 - 6:12pm | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
The different parties and organisations have been become busy in campaigning in support of their candidates in the various districts of the BTAD region including Kokrajhar. BTC executive member...
16 Feb 2014 - 5:06pm | AT News
Suspected NDFB(S) militants kidnapped a businessman in Lakhimpur district on Sunday.Identified as Mukesh Agarwalla, he was kidnapped from Simluguri in Bihpuria in the morning at gunpoint.Rescue...
2 Aug 2020 - 12:49pm | AT News
Tezpur: After Padma Hazarika, now it's turn for Mrinal Hazarika to wage a war against the illegal settlers.
Talking to reporters in Sootea where a group of police and civil officials sustained...
The U.S. Consulate General, Kolkata in collaboration with social enterprise Contact Base, is launching a youth entrepreneurship initiative – Y4BIZ (Youth for Business) in four cities Guwahati, Patna, Ranchi and Kolkata. The program in Guwahati took place in association with the local organization, Startup Assam. The Y4BIZ program aims to support a promising group of 50 young entrepreneurs, and transform their business ideas from the initial stage to a sustainable business model. The 50 entrepreneurs will be selected by a rigorous screening process after the launch events in all four cities. This will be followed by an online capacity building and mentoring program run by the IC2...
The People’s Democratic Council of Karbi-longri (PDCK) Thursday rubbished what it term ed as a “strange” news report aired by News 18 on November 7, 2017 with graphics of photographs and videos on the basis of a police claim. “The news report emphatically asserted that our Home Secretary, Mir-ang Sir-ang was and is directly involved in cases of poaching rhinos in the Kaziranga National Park. The allegation made by the greedy Assam Police personnel and corrupt forest department officials against PDCK and its Home Secretary for killing rhinos is baseless and fabricated. It is an insinuation of the worst kind manufactured out of thin air in order to tarnish the image of this promising...
Investigators from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) returned to India this week to continue the search for remains of U.S. personnel missing since World War II. Last year, DPAA deployed a team to northeast India for 30 days in search of remains for unaccounted-for U.S. airmen, and this is their fifth mission to India since 2013. There are approximately 400 U.S. airmen missing in India, most of whose remains are believed to be located in the Himalayan Mountains in northeast India. During World War II, the United States provided supplies to the Chinese Army by flying over the Himalayas, a route known as “The Hump.” Many of these aircraft went missing and were...
The People's Democratic Council of Karbi-longri (PDCK) an affiliate of the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFWSEA) Sunday condemned the atrocities committed by what it terms ‘Indian occupation forces’ upon two arrested persons, namely Rau Engleng and Longsing Teron. “They used electric shocks and beating as a method of torture to extract information and forced them to confess. These practices are gross violations of Article 3 common to the Geneva Convention,” said the outfit. Stating statutes, PDCK said that occupation forces should recognize the International Humanitarian Law and the Law of Armed Conflict, which protect persons as a target for...
One Planet Academy, a digital portal was launched in Guwahati on Wednesday as a part of WWF-India’s initiative in partnership with Capgemini to create awareness in the area of environment and educate students and citizens through an interactive interface. Leveraging the affinity of today’s learners towards technology, the website focuses on various environmental themes and is a digital hub for schools, teachers and students that brings under its ambit a digital training and resource centre. One Planet Academy is the first of its kind digital hub for environment education for schools, teachers, students and citizens. The OPA is designed to be a one stop destination for engaging not...
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, Sunday filed an FIR at Bhangagarh Police Station, Guwahati, seeking immediate arrest and prosecution under the Criminal Procedure Code following remarks made by Jorhat Lok Sabha Constituency MP, Kamakhya Prasad Tassa on Saturday in a meeting held at Sonari in Charaideu District. Tassa described Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi as 'garbage' in the presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
The final round of the 10th International Edition of the Wild Wisdom Quiz, organised by WWF-India and Discovery Kids in association with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), was held at WWF-India, New Delhi on October 6, 2017.The event saw participation from 28 city level winners across the country and 2 winners from Nepal.Wild Wisdom Quiz has grown in strength over the last decade and has reached beyond the country, with Nepal running its first edition of the quiz in 2017. In India, the Wild Wisdom Quiz is being run across 817 schools in 14 cities with participation from approximately 50,000 students. Run in the format of a competition, the quiz is a fun way to help children learn...
Organized by Abiogenesis Society with sponsorship from North East Council, Ministry of DoNER, Shillong; Artist Aloud as Digital Promotion Partner, Asian News International (ANI) for international news coverage and Doordarshan Kohima Kendra for live telecast, the festival aims to showcase music made by indigenous social groups of the region.The main event on October 7, will see a very strong line up at IMC Hall, Dimapur from 5:30 pm featuring eight renowned artistes and bands.They are: Summersalt – a folk fusion band from Meghalaya who has been featured in the Bollywood film Rock On 2, Jambili – a folk fusion band from Assam, Imphal Talkies – a six member folk rock band from...
A land without ruins is a land without memories – a land without memories is a land without history: so wrote Reverend Abram Joseph Ryan, an American poet, popularly known as the Poet – Priest of the South and also as the Poet-Laureate of the Confederacy. Ruins are not alone physical remains of a building or a structure, but embodiment of memories. The past is deeply entrenched in them. Even in a stage of dilapidation, besides the stories of glory and loss, they also weave narratives of a sense of being part of that past which stand right there to be touched and felt. The historical monuments of the pre-colonial Dimasa state today lie in a state of ruins across vast geographical areas...
The proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom [ULFA-Independent] expresses delight in the arrival of the under seventeen Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup soccer matches in homeland Assam. “I, on behalf of my organisation, thank FIFA for bringing International Football to this remote part of the world and a warm welcome to the FIFA officials and players of different nations to Assam,” states Abhizeet Asom, the elusive Chairman of the outfit.He believes that the people of Assam will immensely benefit by the experience, learning about international standards in football by witnessing the ways and manners of the teenage players from different countries and...
Add new comment