Acting on different complaints, the News Broadcasters Standards Authority (NBSA) has passed six orders asking different news channels to express apology even as it issued warnings in cases related to coverage of victims of sexual assault or harassment.
In one of the orders, the NBSA received a complaint in that in a program 'Face the Nation'- Phaneesh Murthy case : Is sexual harassment in work place a double edged sword' on CNN- IBN, her name was unnecessarily revealed and wrong information was disseminated on sub judice matters.
Though the broadcaster said that they had not violated any guideline, the NBSA, which is a self regulatory body of the TV news broadcasters, was not entirely satisfied by its reply. In an order signed by NBSA member Nitin Desai, the regulatory body issuing a warning and also asked the channel to write an apology letter to the complainant.
Another complaint related to a live coverage on CNN-IBN in which a father of a child rape victim gave vent to his anguish. The complainant said that even during a live programme the identity of a rape victim or her parent should be protected and not revealed.
The channel contended that it was a live situation and the byte of the child victim's father was not pre determined or pre conceived. After hearing both sides, the NBSA closed the matter with a warning to the broadcaster to be more careful and responsible in future.
In another case the NBSA asked news channel Aaj Tak to run an apology for showing a one-sided report in a matter related to a marital dispute and carry the unedited version of the complainant prominently.
In another matter, Aaj Tak was asked to run an apology scroll for running a tagline which had conveyed a wrong image of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Limited.
