New Delhi: Government has no intention to
regulate the content of television news channels but will
create an independent autonomous body to look into all aspects
of the broadcasting sector, says Information and Broadcasting
minister Ambika Soni.
"Believe it or not, we are not putting a regulator to
monitor content, that is not the intention of the government
at all. It would be an independent autonomous body, without
government control, which will look at all the ministry
related issues," she said speaking to a TV news channel.
When asked further as to why the ministry was planning
to have a regulator for television news channels even though
it has no such plans for the print media, Soni said, "What we
are talking about is a mechanism. You may call it a regulator.
It is not a regulator in the context of content control.
"There is a debate going on for a long time on what kind
of a body should be there. I have not put a time frame to it
(debate). I don`t know what everybody will decide. We have
been speaking to News Broadcasters Association and other
bodies of broadcasters. They all have their own self-
regulatory mechanisms."
Soni added that she did not want the ministry "to play
the role of a regulator. I have an absolutely open mind. I
have clarified that I don`t want to regulate on behalf of the
ministry but through some other mechanism which is autonomous.
"In fact the various broadcasters` bodies have asked us
to facilitate a nodal group of ministers which can be accessed
by them in times of emergency(like Mumbai attacks)".
Bureau Report
