Stop ‘unauthentic, misleading and sensational’ news coverage, private TV channels told

I&B Ministry cites examples of Russia–Ukraine conflict, Jehangirpuri violence

The Information & Broadcasting Ministry on Saturday issued a stern advisory to all the private satellite TV channels to desist from making false claims about the Russia–Ukraine conflict and using provocative headlines and videos of violence that may incite communal hatred.

The Ministry said the TV channels should adhere to Section 20 of The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act including the Programme Code laid down thereunder.

The provision empowers the Centre to regulate/prohibit the transmission or retransmission of any channel or programme, if it considers necessary in the interest of sovereignty, security and integrity; friendly relations with any foreign State or public order, decency or morality.

“It has, however, been found that in the recent past several satellite TV channels have carried out coverage of events and incidents in a manner which appears to be unauthentic, misleading, sensational and using socially unacceptable language and remarks, offending good taste and decency, and obscene and defamatory and having communal overtones...,” said the advisory, referring to the coverage of the Russia–Ukraine conflict and the recent Jehangirpuri violence in north-west Delhi, besides certain news debates.

With regard to the conflict, the Ministry said completely unrelated “scandalous headlines or taglines” were used and many journalists and news anchors of those channels made fabricated and hyperbolic statements intending to incite the audience.

According to the advisory, the coverage of the recent incident in north-west Delhi by several TV channels had provocative headlines and videos of violence that might incite communal hatred and disrupt peace and law and order. Scandalous and unverified closed–circuit television camera footage was played, which could disrupt the ongoing probe.

Footage of a specific community, aggravating communal tension, was shown and fabricated headlines — sensationalising and giving communal colours to the actions of authority — were used.