Content code regulation for news channels likely soon

As per an I&B official, the content code regulation for putting restrictions on the content of various news channels will be put into effect soon.

The content code regulation for putting restrictions on the content of various news channels will be put into effect soon, says an information and broadcasting ministry official.

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"We were waiting for representations from some news broadcasting agencies but what I have heard from them is that they will submit them by the end of March," said Zohra Chatterji, joint secretary in the ministry, on the sidelines of the ongoing FICCI-Frames conference on the Indian entertainment industry.

"We are under constant pressure from the courts to intervene in the content regulation of news channels," Chatterji told IANS.

She added that nobody had made a proper representation to either the ministry or the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

However, the ministry had finalised its recommendations. "We have put it on our website. They were also placed before the Delhi High Court as the court had asked for a report."

According to Chatterji, G Krishnan, CEO of TV Today Network Limited, had said on Tuesday during a session at the conference that the recommendations from the broadcasters on content would be submitted by March.

"These recommendations were actually required to be submitted by January," she pointed out.