COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL MEDIA POLICY
ON THE ANVIL
The Government of
India would soon formulate a Comprehensive Media Policy after
having wide ranging consultations with the media stakeholders
like the editors, media houses, broadcasters, working journalists,
media critics, small and medium newspaper representatives, non-government
organizations and State Governments. This was stated, here today,
by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Ravi Shankar
Prasad while inaugurating a two-day seminar on the subject at
the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.
Shri Prasad said
that the fast changing technology has completely changed the media
environment today. He said, no Government can stop the march of
technology, it can only delay and even the delay would be disastrous.
He said, during the past four years the Ministry of Information
& Broadcasting has taken a number of initiatives like the
revision of policies on FDI in Print (both News and Non-News),
syndication arrangements, uplinking guidelines, DTH, CAS, Community
Radio, FM privatization etc. But, he said, all these initiatives
have been reactive, rather than prospective. He said the reach
of technology is overpowering, altering all boundaries of relationships
but we must juxtapose our policies with these technological changes.
The Government wants to come out with a National Media Policy
looking at the Media Scene 10 or 20 years ahead, he said.
Shri Prasad said
the fast emerging situation has posed certain very important questions
like creation of monopolies, cross-media restrictions and survival
of small and medium newspapers. The globalisation no doubt is
important and we cannot but be a part of it but the face of globalisation
have to be humanized, he said.
Referring to the
content, the Minister said that the multiplication of media and
proliferation of channels has necessitated the need of an independent
regulator for broadcasting sector. But, he made it clear that
the Government has no role in this and has no intention to control
the media. He said, the best course would be self-regulation but
regretted that all his pleas for self-regulation, regarding the
objectionable ads on liquor and tobacco etc., on TV channels,
have fallen flat, thereby further strengthening the view to have
a regulator. He said, it has to be seen whether the regulator
would be under the Convergence Commission or a separate broadcasting
regulator. In this regard, he said that though he is all for the
freedom of press and creativity but what about the rights of the
recipient, the viewer or the reader, he asked. He said, the question
is how to juxtapose the self-regulation with the over-powering
commercialization. The Minister also referred to the great divide
among the stakeholders in the broadcasting sector. Only an independent
regulator can help bridge this divide.
The Minister also
appealed to the media to lend their support to the economic reforms.
He said, there is no escape but to carry out internal economic
reforms. The need is to educate the people about the benefits
of reforms and enlist their support.
The Secretary, Ministry
of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Pawan Chopra gave an overview
of the three sectors – Information, Broadcasting and film – and
explained the recent polices initiatives of the Government. The
two-day seminar would have five sessions and would review the
existing elements of Media Policy – available framework, need
for having a Comprehensive Media Policy, elicit the opinion of
stakeholders across the spectrum – Government, industry, interested
groups and political parties and formulate policy recommendations
and broad strategies for the future deliberations.
The Seminar is the
first in the series of Seminars proposed to be held in all parts
of the country to generate a nationwide debate and evolve a consensus
before drafting the National Media Policy. Those invited to participate
include the CEOs of Media Houses, senior editors and journalists,
media critics, press institutions and organizations, NGOs, political
representatives, Members of Parliament, advertising experts, economists
and broadcasters.
Participating in
the discussion, the Principal Information Officer, Shri Sahab
Singh said that new ideas must be developed and more positive
measures must be taken to shake up the ad-hocism in policies and
the prevailing inertia. The responsibility of evolving a media
policy, which is workable and progressive, also rest as much with
the media as with the Government. He felt that the mature Indian
press will shoulder this responsibility in having a document to
guide in the media domain in the form of a national Media Policy.
