Supreme court said new channels are only driven by TRP(Television Rating Point) alongside they are competing with other channels and creating a divide in society
New Delhi: The Supreme Court stated on Friday that hate speech is a “complete menace” and lamented the absence of regulatory oversight over TV news coverage, stating that it wants “free and balanced press in India.”
According to the top court, everything is now governed by TRP (television rating point), and channels are in competition with one another and dividing society. It questioned why a TV news anchor can’t be removed from air if they contribute to the problem of spreading hate speech.
It said unlike for print media, there is no Press Council of India for news channels, and observed “We want free speech, but at what cost”.
“In a live programme, the key to fairness of the programme is held by the anchor. If the anchor is not fair, he would not allow the counter view to come by either muting the speaker or by not asking the question to the other side. This is an insignia of bias. “How many times action has been taken against the anchor? Media people must learn that they are occupying positions of great strength and they have an impact on society. They cannot be part of the problem and speak their mind whichever way they want,” the bench said.
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