The information and broadcast(I&B) ministry is considering reforming the inter-ministerial committee that reviews violation cases in broadcast media. I&B minister Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said that the ministry is open to people’s recommendation on the process, reports The Times of India.
The decision comes a day after the government put on hold its decision to impose one day-blackout on NDTV for putting out sensitive content during the anti-terror operation at the Pathankot airbase in January.
The government faced massive criticism for the decision that curbs press freedom being taken by a committee of bureaucrats instead of the review mechanism instituted by the News Broadcasters Standards Authority(NBSA).
The members of media fraternity have also expressed concerns over lack of mechanism within the government for seeking review on such decisions.
The IMC last met on June 25 when it decided to impose a 30-day ban on the channel which was later restricted to one day. The meeting was attended by five members – home, external affairs, defence, law and the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI).
The committee, which is currently headed by the I&B additional secretary including members from eight ministries, felt that the vital information aired by the channel could be easily picked by terrorist handlers which could potentially cause massive damage to national security.
Venkaiah Naidu hailed the committee’s decision saying that the action was recommended after taking into consideration the instant reach and power of television as a medium. He also lauded the decision for being a lesson to the channel for being unapologetic about the matter.
He also slammed those criticising the ban and said that the ‘belated criticism’ was ill-informed and politically inspired to create a controversy.
The Supreme court will hear NDTV’s petition against the one day-blackout on its Hindi channel NDTV India on December 5. The media house had approached the apex court on Monday calling the government’s directive ‘unconstitutional’.
(Feature image source: PTI)