News Channels May Have to Get Approval for Telecasting Material Issued By Terrorist Organisations

NEW DELHI: The News Broadcasting Standards Authority said that it is considering setting guidelines for news channels to seek the Indian Army’s approval for telecasting material issued by terrorist organisations.

The matter came to light in a NBSA order on a complaint filed by the army with it against some news channels for telecasting a video in June last year made by a terrorist organisation, which showed Rifleman Aurangzeb being interrogated by his captors, moments before he was killed by them. The army in its complaint on June 18 said that it had asked the channels to not telecast the footage, but they nevertheless did it. It explained that telecasting such images propagates terrorist propaganda and affects the ‘dignity’ of the deceased soldier. The army also said that the channels were insensitive to the soldier’s family. It added that while it respects the ‘freedom of speech of the media’, it wants the rights of a soldier and his family protected.

The NBSA in its order, which came out on May 1, said, “The NBSA also decided to independently consider the need for any guidelines in regard to seeking the army’s clearance in using material issued or made available by any terrorist organisation or terrorists relating to security sensitive matters.”

It added that it will also consider, “the need to issue an advisory or guidelines putting together the principles relating to dignity to the dead (not being made a public spectacle), respecting the privacy regarding the grief of the bereaved families, soldiers’ honour and dignity and national security, and other related matters, to improve the presentation and broadcasting of such news stories.”

Aurangzeb, who was serving with the army’s 44 Rashtriya Rifles in Jammu and Kashmir, was heading to his home to celebrate Eid when he was abducted by terrorists on June 14. Hours later his bullet ridden body was found in Gussu village, Pulwama. In a video released on social-media site, Twitter, he is seen being interrogated by his captors about his closeness to Major Rohit Shukla, who had gunned down a Hizbul Mujahideen commander named Sameer Tiger in Kashmir in April last year. Aurangzeb had confirmed that he was Shukla’s ‘buddy’ (army’s buddy system in which two soldiers are paired together).

The army in its complaint said that several channels aired the video on June 15 and 16. “Intentionally or unintentionally there has been a serious error of judgment and editorial oversight…Though the army respects the freedom of speech of the media, it wants the rights of a soldier and his family to be protected with equal sensitivity,” said the complaint.

The NBSA, in its order, said it found that the airing of the video was in violation of the Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards. The NBSA directed the broadcasters to submit their responses and appear before it on March 28. The broadcasters said that the footage was picked up from a news agency and all channels carried it and not just the ones named by the army. They said that the broadcast was meant to inform the public of the ‘cowardly’ acts of violence committed by terrorists in Kashmir. They said that the intention behind broadcasting the story was to express ‘anger’ and ‘disgust’ against those who killed Aurangzeb.

The army told the NBSA that scenes of grief shown on TV channels can ‘demoralise’ the public and lead to many families deciding to not send their children to join the armed forces. The NBSA noted that there are no specific guidelines in regard to material from terrorist organisations and closed the army complaint with an observation that broadcasters should exercise caution in matters related to national security.

Source: ET

Image Courtesy:DigiCam