NBA asks SC to make its regulatory mechanism binding on all news channels

The News Broadcasters Association has asked the Supreme Court to pass an order making its programme code as part of statutory framework and the orders passed by its independent self-regulatory mechanism binding and enforceable on all news channels.

The organisation sought recognition to its independent self regulatory mechanism, applied through News Broadcasting Standard Authority, headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice A K Sikri, to all news channels.

"Amenability to NBSA mechanism should be made a term of uplinking and downlinking permission for news channels as not all broadcasters come within its jurisdiction," the association.

The response was filed by Annie Joseph, secretary general of NBA in a petition filed by advocate Firoz Iqbal Khan against a programme telecast by Sudarshan TV on alleged infiltration of Muslims into the UPSC.

The court had on September 18 asked the NBA to give suggestions as to how the self-regulatory mechanism of the NBSA could be strengthened and made more effective in respect of electronic media.

In its suggestion, the association said, "the NBA code of ethics should be included under Rule 6 of the Programme Code of the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to make it binding on all news broadcasters, irrespective of the membership."

The recognition to the NBSA would strengthen the News Broadcasting Standard Regulations and the penalties mentioned therein could be made more stringent, it said.