The News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA), a self-regulatory body for TV news channels, has imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on a private news channel for running a programme on vampires which violated its norms related to superstition and occultism.
In an order issued yesterday, the NBSA, headed by former Supreme court judge R V Raveendran, has also asked the channel to display an apology.
According to the order, the channel ETV Chhattisgarh, had run a programme titled 'Vampires' which was found violative of the norms. The I&B ministry had brought the content of the programme to the notice of the NBSA.
In several other orders issued yesterday, the self regulatory body has pulled up news channels over programmes which it felt were not as per the accepted norms.
In one of the orders issued the same day, the NBSA has asked NDTV 24X7 and NDTV India to show an apology over news reports related to lynching of a man in Nahan in Himachal Pradesh.
After examining the matter and hearing various sides, the NBSA felt that the channels had "attributed the lynching to some named religious groups apparently without verification of facts", the order said.
The channels had in their reply said they had used the word "allegedly", but not convinced, the NBSA asked them to display apologies over the news reports.
In another order dated July 18, 2016, the NBSA ordered a Rs 1 lakh fine on ETV Bangla and asked it to display apology after it felt that its coverage of an incident in Jadavpur University flouted the norms related to impartiality and objectivity.
In another order, the NBSA asked a private news channel News24 to submit an expression of regret and assure that it would adhere to the principles of self-regulation after it felt that one of its programmes on allegations against functionaries of a political party did not adhere to the norms related to objectivity.
In yet another order, the NBSA has asked channel ETV UP/Uttarakhand to run an apology and air versions of some persons regarding whom news reports had been telecast.
