By Mohammed Siddique, TwoCircles.net
Hyderabad: In a big relief to the Madarsas, who are often at the receiving end of maligning propaganda by a section of media, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has ordered a Telugu regional news channel to apologise for one such report.
TV5, a Hyderabad based channel has been directed to telecast a scrolling for three days from July 3 to July 6 expressing its apology for branding the Madarsas as the den of terrorists in one of its reports.
The order has specified the content of the apology, the duration for which it has to be shown and the speed with which the scrolling in prominent font should be shown.
According to the order, the scroll should be, “The Information and Broadcasting ministry has warned the TV5 for telecasting a report about a Hyderabad based Madarasa. The report was violation of the programming regulation and TV5 apologizes for this violation”.
In a move, which will set a precedence for similar cases of violations in future, the I&B ministry said that the TV should show this scroll from 12 noon on July 3 to 12 noon on July 6, round the clock with out any interruption and the scroll should move at a normal pace across the TV screen. The ministry has also directed the channel that it should provide proof of complying with the order.
Not leaving the matter there, the government has also warned that if it again violates the regulation, more stringent action will be taken and its telecast will be banned.
In its report on 26 August, 2008, the channel had focused on the functioning of Madarsas and tried to project them as the hub of terrorist. I&B ministry found that it violates the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act 1995. The channel is owned by a businessman B Rajagopal Naidu.
Though inimical reporting against Madarsas and linking Muslim community to the terror related incidents on Telugu media is not new, it is first time that the government has chosen to act strongly on the complained lodged against the report.
Observers say that the action of I&B ministry could be base for similar complaints against other media outlets indulging in a similar propaganda against any organization, institution or individual and reign in the wayward media hurting the sentiments of any community or group.