Amid widespread criticism on social media over the insensitive coverage by some TV channels of incidents such as the Rishabh Pant car crash and the Delhi hit-and-drag case, the government, on Monday, termed the TV news coverage of incidents like the cricketer's accident "distasteful" and "heart wrenching" and asked the channels to strictly follow the programme code laid down under the relevant law.
In an advisory to all private satellite channels, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting cited the coverage of the cricketer's car crash, airing of distressing images of dead bodies and thrashing of a five-year-old boy and said such reporting offended "good taste and decency".
Netizens had questioned the airing of CCTV and mobile visuals connected to the above incidents, and more, on social media and on loop on prime time television.
"...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," read the advisory issued on Monday.
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Pant, who was driving from Delhi to Roorkee to surprise his family members in the early hours of December 30, suffered multiple injuries after his speeding car hit the divider and caught fire. Pant was taken to Mumbai by air ambulance from Dehradun since he was not in a position to fly by a commercial airline. He has successfully underwent a knee surgery at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital and is recovering.
The advisory also said the broadcasters had taken video clips and images from social media and "little effort has been made to modulate or attune or edit such clips so as to make it compliant and consistent with the spirit of the Programme Code".
The ministry has "strongly advised" television channels to attune their systems and practices of reporting incidents of crime, accidents, and violence, including death, in conformity with the Programme Code laid under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act.
A 20-year-old woman was killed in the early hours of New Year after her scooter was hit by the car which dragged her for 12 kilometres from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala, in Delhi. Seven persons have been arrested so far in the case.
(With PTI inputs)
