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Why are media regulators soft with scribes, asks SC
Why is it in news?
- The Supreme Court said media regulators tend to wear a “velvet fist inside a velvet glove” when it comes to dealing with journalists and media organisations whose actions, like revealing the identity of a rape survivor, make them criminally liable.
Role of Regulators
- It is a crime under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Indian Penal Code to disclose the identity of victims of sexual abuse, especially if they are children.
- The Supreme Court asked whether statutory bodies like :
- the Press Council of India (PCI),
- Editors Guild of India,
- National Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA), and
- the Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) have no responsibility to inform the police when a journalist or a media outlet commits such a crime in the course of reportage.
- The court gave three weeks to PCI, Editors Guild and IBF to respond specifically on whether they had a responsibility to inform the police about an offence committed by a journalist or a media organisation.
Source
The Hindu