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By: Express News Service | New Delhi |
Updated: October 25, 2020 12:08:37 pm
News Broadcasters Association has asked the government to withdraw the case of alleged manipulation of Television Rating Points (TRP) being referred to the CBI. (File photo)News Broadcasters Association, one of the main industry bodies of television news channels has asked the government to withdraw the case of alleged manipulation of Television Rating Points (TRP) being referred to the CBI. It has raised concern about the speed at which it was transferred to the CBI after an FIR was filed in Uttar Pradesh.
In a statement issued on Saturday, it said that it “expresses serious concern at the open-ended FIR registered by the UP police against media for alleged TRP manipulation”.
“The speed with which the case was transferred to CBI overnight raises doubts about the intentions. A complaint filed against unknown persons by an individual who has no locus standi may lead to a witch-hunt against the media, its advertisers and advertising agencies. We sincerely urge the government to immediately withdraw the case referred to CBI.”
The NBA said that Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), which measures and publishes the TRP “has a mechanism to deal with such cases” and mentioned that an “internal competent body headed by (Retd.) Justice Mukul Mudgal is capable and empowered to look into cases related to TRP data tampering”. NBA said that “all cases related to TRP manipulation should be transferred to this authority”.
The statement comes in the backdrop of the government transferring the case to the CBI after an FIR was filed in Hazratganj based on the complaint by an employee of Golden Rabbit Communications, an ad agency based in Delhi. Based on a reference by the Uttar Pradesh government, the CBI filed an FIR against unidentified people in the case on Tuesday.
Since then the Maharashtra government has withdrawn its “general consent” given to the CBI to investigate cases in the state. Mumbai Police has been investigating the TRP case after its commissioner Param Bir Singh had mentioned earlier this month that Arnab Goswami’s Republic was one of the three channels involved in alleged manipulation of TRP data.
Mumbai Police has made several arrests, including one from Mirzapur in UP in the case and has also expanded the scope of the investigation and five channels are under probe at the moment.
On Friday the Mumbai Police booked Republic Media Network’s executive editor, an anchor, two reporters and other editorial staff for broadcasting alleged defamatory news content against the police department.
The NBA mentioned in its Saturday’s statement that it is “very disturbed at the turn of events in Mumbai as the clash between Republic TV and Mumbai police is posing a threat to the credibility and respect of two great institutions, the media and the police” and said that “we are deeply concerned that journalists working in the newsroom have become victims of this unfortunate conflict”.
Republic TV is not a member of NBA, as Goswami had founded and heads another industry body named News Broadcasters Federation. However, the NBA said that “even though Republic TV is not a member of NBA and does not subscribe to our Code, we still take strong exception to cases filed against its editorial staff” it stands for “the freedom of speech and expression of the media as enshrined in the Constitution of India” but it also stressed that “we endorse the practice of ethics in journalism and put fair and balanced reporting at the core of what we report upon”.
“NBA reprehends any attempt to target journalists doing their work in newsrooms but, on the other hand, we disapprove of any vengeful reporting by media. We condemn the reporting of baseless stories which subverts and interferes with the functioning of the law enforcement agencies.”
It also urged the Mumbai police “to ensure that no journalists are made victims of this crossfire.” And appealed to “journalists working with Republic TV not to cross the Lakshman Rekha as clearly observed by the Bombay High Court”.