Forget news editors, if Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi has his way, news channels will soon have to appoint news “auditors” to regulate content.

The “content” which needs to be regulated by the auditor is also rather well defined—the audio-visual presentation and subject matter treatment of programmes going on air.

The new guideline, being projected as a “self-regulatory mechanism” for news coverage by television channels, provides specifications for just about everything. It includes a nine-part set of dos and don’ts which the channels have to abide by.

The content auditor will keep a watch on what visual and subject matter is going on air “round the clock”. The auditor will have the power to nip objectionable content, which does not abide by the guidelines set by the Ministry, in the bud.

Though the Chief Editor of a channel will have the power to overrule the auditing, the content auditor will have the option of reporting the non-compliance to the regulatory authority set up by the ministry, namely the Broadcast Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI).

Who would be the Big Brother watching what is being put on air on the Ministry’s behalf? That too has been clearly specified—preferably a Chartered Accountant, otherwise a lawyer or a senior journalist. “It has to be a professional,” said Dasmunsi.

The proposed guidelines, the Minister promised, would be put on the official website for the public and the experts to see for themselves and compare with international practices in this regard.

According to officials who have drawn up the guidelines, the content auditor is a self-regulator for the channel as he/she would keep the Ministry off the back of all news and entertainment channels. In order words, the Ministry would not have to be directly involved in banning channels for violating public morality. The regulatory authority through the content auditor would do the needful.

... contd.