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Congress leader urges Centre to restore ‘civility’ in TV debates
In a letter to information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar, Shergill said it was imperative to restore civility through a code of conduct in order to “tame the slanderous beast” that television debates had become.
A day after Congress spokesperson Rajiv Tyagi died of a heart attack after participating in a TV debate, his party colleague Jaiveer Shergill on Thursday wrote to the information and broadcasting ministry, seeking steps to restore “civility” in television debates and an advisory to news channels to observe a code of conduct.
In a letter to information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar, Shergill said it was imperative to restore civility through a code of conduct in order to “tame the slanderous beast” that television debates had become. “Constant interruptions coupled with toxic and defamatory smears impact the mental and physical well-being of all individuals on the panel.”
Shergill also said issuing an advisory to the media houses to follow News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) guidelines to ensure more civility is a must and will serve as an appropriate tribute to Tyagi.
Tagging his letter, Shergill tweeted, “My letter to I&B Minister Shri Prakash Javdekar Ji requesting him to issue an advisory to media to enforce a code of conduct to curb slanderous, sensationalist and toxic TV debates.”
Tyagi’s death has triggered a debate within the Congress over its participation in such panel discussions on television channels.
A Congress leader said the party had not yet taken a decision, but there were voices against the move. “It is high time TV channel owners , editors and anchors introspect on how some in the industry have reduced news debates into a meaningless , poisonous and potentially fatal activity. At times words can have the same impact as bullets,” tweeted senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel.
