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Govt issues advisory to TV channels on Red Fort blast case coverage
The advisory was issued after some news channels broadcast content related to information on “how to make explosive material or statements justifying acts of violence
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday issued an advisory to all private satellite television channels, cautioning them against broadcasting content related to the recent Red Fort blasts that could “encourage or incite violence” or pose risks to national security.
The advisory said the ministry had noticed that some news channels were “broadcasting content related to alleged persons involved in Red Fort blasts justifying their acts of violence, as well as information/ videos of how to make explosive material.”
Such broadcasts may inadvertently encourage or incite violence, disrupt public order, and pose risks to national security, it said.
The ministry asked all channels to exercise discretion and sensitivity while reporting on the Red Fort blasts, which killed at least 12 people, and reminded broadcasters to ensure “strict compliance with the Programme and Advertising Code under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.”
It also pointed to possible violations of specific provisions of the Cable Television Network Rules.
These include Rule 6(1)(d), which says no programme should “contain anything obscene, defamatory, deliberately false, or suggestive innuendos and half-truths”; Rule 6(1)(e), which bars content “likely to encourage or incite violence, contain anything against the maintenance of law and order, or promote anti-national attitudes”, and Rule 6(1)(h), which prohibits anything “that affects the integrity of the Nation.”
On November 10, a slow-moving i20 — which had been sold multiple times, and retrofitted with a CNG tank — blew up at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station. The ensuing blaze charred at least 12 people, including the driver, described by the National Investigation Agency as the suicide bomber.
The ministry further advised channels “to avoid telecasting visuals that could aid, abet or promote unlawful activities.”
The advisory has also been sent to self-regulatory bodies, electronic media associations, and the Broadcast Seva Portal.
