Ace cricketer Rishabh Pant recently met with an accident and reports related to the incident were published in the media immediately. However, several rumours and fake instances were quoted and mentioned by the channels which led to misinformation being spread among fans and listeners. Owing to the same, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, recently issued an advisory to all television channels, stating that the same should be followed with immediate effect.
As per reports, the guidelines were issued related to reporting incidents of accidents, deaths, and violence, including violence against women, children, and elderly. The note stated that the reporting is not being done in a tasteful manner and truth is being compromised in many cases which could impact the people associated with the crime and children.
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The ministry had issued statement earlier asking the same to be controlled, however, the channels had not implemented the same or changed the mannerism of reporting. Observing this, the advisory was issued, and strict orders were given to follow the same. Sharing details about the reporting on Pant’s accident, the ministry said, "showed the distressing images and videos of a cricketer injured in an accident, without blurring".
Details regarding the same were published in IANS, which quoted the ministry and said, "Television channels have shown dead bodies of individuals and images, videos of injured persons with blood splattered around, people, including women, children and elderly being beaten mercilessly in close shots, continuous cries and shrieks of a child being beaten by a teacher, shown repeatedly over several minutes, including circling the actions thereby making it even more ghastly, without taking the precaution of blurring the images or showing them from long shots."
"Television, being a platform usually watched by families in households with people from all cohorts - old aged, middle aged, small children, etc., and with various socio-economic backgrounds, place certain sense of responsibility and discipline among the broadcasters, which have been enshrined in the Programme Code and the Advertising Code," the note mentioned, further adding that the incidents which showcase distasteful and distressing for the audience need to be avoided as it is crucial to keep the viewers in mind.
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Moreover, aspects like invasion of privacy, maligning and using defamatory language should be noted with care.
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