The Morning Context has a detailed report out today on problems with the Electronic Media Monitoring Centre. The report says it has now taken to less monitoring of standards, far more meeting political ends and trying to ensure PM and the BJP government look good.
https://thewire.in/government/electronic-media-monitoring-centre-emmc-bjp
A TV content monitoring team, called the Electronic Media Monitoring Centre, or EMMC, was set up in 2008 by the United Progressive Alliance government to monitor TV channels across genres to comply with standards. In 2006, the UPA ministry of Information and Broadcasting had earmarked Rs 11.65 crore to set it up for “content monitoring of private television channels and to check the violations of the Programme and Advertising Codes” under the Cable Television Networks (Regulations) Act.
Now, The Morning Context in a detailed report titled, How the Modi government ‘monitors’ the media, says it finds a drastic shift on what it does on the ground and has a report out on its working in detail. It says, “Under the current government, however, the agency seems to have become a tool for excessive surveillance of TV channels, especially news channels, to track reportage and opinion that are critical of the ruling party.”
It cites this as “a radical departure from what it was originally meant to do and its legal mandate under the Cable Television Networks (Regulations) Act”, a law introduced in 1995 to regulate TV content.
21/04/2023