Parliamentarians raise issues of hate speech and provocation in news media

Opining that 'news has become noise' these days, AAP MP Raghav Chadda pointed out that a majority of news channels are broadcasting provocative debates and discussions on a daily basis.

New Delhi:Two members of the Rajya Sabha on Thursday raised the issue of the degrading quality of news channels in India, and asked for the regulations that the government has or plans to have in place in these regards. The queries were answered both in the Parliament and through written responses by Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur.

Opining that 'news has become noise' these days, AAP MP Raghav Chadda pointed out that a majority of news channels are broadcasting provocative debates and discussions on a daily basis. "There are several news channels that conduct very provocative shows with aggressive sessions and debates every day 5 pm onwards, creating mental disturbance for the audience. Are there any provisions to stop this or any action taken against these channels and TV anchors?" Chadda asked.

Responding to the question, Minister Anurag Thakur clarified that the center has a three-level Grievance Redressal Mechanism for looking into complaints relating to the violation of the Code of Ethics by such broadcasters, though the concerned news organization has to be informed first.

"You have to first approach the channel if you have any complaints against their broadcasting. The matter then proceeds to the inter-departmental committee. The ministry has not received any such complaint from you or anyone else. Any such matter, if received by the ministry, will definitely be resolved," Thakur told the Rajya Sabha.

In another similar query, MP Syed Nasir Hussain enquired about the measures taken by the government to curb hate speech in news media including print, tv, and digital media. Hussain also asked for details on the major reasons behind hate speech in news media. Thakur in a written reply laid down a brief list of measures taken.

The Government has statutory and institutional mechanisms in place with regard to conduct on print, TV, and digital platforms separately, the minister mentioned in his written response. "For Print Media, we have a Press Council of India (PCI) as a statutory autonomous body set up under the Press Council Act, 1978. PCI has framed “Norms of Journalistic Conduct” for adherence by the media," the response read.

For Electronic Media, all television channels are required to adhere to the Programme Code under the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 including that program should not contain an attack on religions or communities; contain anything defamatory; criticize, malign or slander any individual or linguistic or regional groups, etc., he added.

For digital media, the Government has notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rule, 2021 under the Information Technology Act which inter-alia provides for adherence to the Code of Ethics by publishers of news on digital media and also a three-tier mechanism for redressal of grievance relating to Code of Ethics.

Appropriate action is taken in cases where violation of the Norms, Codes, etc. is found, the response added.