Home ministry wants live TV coverage of anti-terror operations to end

[Dinesh jain]

Television news channels may have
to be extra cautious while covering anit-terror
operations. Live TV coverage of such operations
could end as the home ministry has written to
the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB)
to this effect.

MIB has received the letter wherein the home
ministry has sought for amendment to the
Programme Code under the Cable TV Networks
Rules, 1994 so that there is no live television
coverage of anti-terror operations.

The home ministry noted that such live coverage
in places like Jammu and Kashmir or elsewhere
not only affects the secrecy and effectiveness of
the operation but also puts the safety of
journalists in jeopardy, according to a report in
The Economic Times.

The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has
already put in place a set of rules following the
26/11 Mumbai attacks that were beamed live on
television. The self-regulatory rules included
restriction on live reporting of terror situations.
According to the ET report, the home ministry is
now pressing for more changes to the 15-point
Programme Code prescribed under the Cable
Television Network Rules, 1994 for this specific
purpose. The rules were amended in 2009 when
private broadcasters were brought within the
ambit of the Cable Television Networks Rules,
1994.

Home ministry wants live TV coverage of anti-terror operations to end | TelevisionPost.com