Govt want to regulate electronic media

New Delhi: The Government is considering to establish a regulator for the burgeoning electronic media, the Information and Broadcasting Minister said on Thursday though he added that the establishment did not want to get into a confrontation with the fourth estate.

"We are contemplating how to cover the electronic media, including the Internet," Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said at the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Press Council of India (PCI), the autonomous watchdog for the print media.

"We have two choices. We can either enlarge the scope of the PCI or set up a separate self-regulatory body for the electronic media," he added, while addressing the gathering that included President A P J Abdul Kalam, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and PCI chairman justice G N Ray.

This, coupled with a Broadcast Bill that is proposed to be enacted, did not mean the Government was heading for a confrontation with the media, the minister was quick to add.

"The government is conscious that it should not interfere with the self-regulatory mechanisms already in place," Dasmunsi maintained.

"I salute the media. It is for you to tell us where we go wrong," he added for good measure, also saying: "The media is never against anyone, barring some exceptions, it is patriotic, and it is concerned about preserving the sanctity of the constitution."

The Broadcast Bill, if passed by Parliament, will give the government sweeping powers to take over TV news channels in case of war or national calamities. In the case of the print media, the government can achieve this through declaring censorship.

Dasmunsi also indirectly shot down a demand to give the PCI more teeth.

"I believe you can annoy your parents and you can even annoy your (political) party, but you cannot annoy the media," he explained and then went on to give another example.

"The Press Council recommends government advertisements not be given to a particular paper. I sit over this because I believe negotiations and not punishment is the answer (if a newspaper article puts the government in a tight spot)," he said.

Dasmunsi also utilised the opportunity to join the print vs. TV debate, saying he valued the written word above all.

"Breaking news on TV caters to only a very few. Newspapers explain things in detail. Therefore, the role of the print media is more important in a democracy," the minister maintained.