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Hamid Ansari suggests publication of White Paper on media
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| merisarkar news service New Delhi, November 16, 2011 |
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UK did that in 2000: VP
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Against the backdrop of a raging debate about media regulation, Vice President Hamid Ansari on Wednesday said India can take a cue from other stable democracies like the US and UK in dealing with this subject and also suggested publication of a White Paper.
"The experience of other countries shows us the way. The ongoing national debate on the subject should involve all stakeholders leading perhaps to the publication of a White Paper," said Ansari at the inauguration of National Press Day celebration at India International Centre, New Delhi on Wednesday.
He said, "this should lead to further consultations and evolution of a broad national consensus so that appropriate frameworks can be put in place combining voluntary initiative, executive regulation and legislative action, as appropriate."
"Such an effort can cover issues of multiple-ownership and cross-ownership, content and diversity, and a cogent national communications policy that covers print, radio, television, cable, DTH platforms, video and film industry, internet and mobile telephony, and electro-magnetic spectrum," he added.
Ansari said, "Our democracy is poorer without active media watch groups engaged in objective analyses of the media, discerning prejudices and latent biases, and subjecting the media to a dose of their own medicine."
He said for an industry that has over 50,000 newspapers and hundreds of television channels, "systematic media criticism is non-existent in India. This should be remedied and I hope your deliberations would address this important aspect."
The Vice President cited examples of other stable democracies like the UK, the US and Australia on how they have dealt with media revolution and convergence of communication technologies.
Ansari said that in December 2000 the UK published a White Paper entitled `A New Future for Communications' in Britain.
The document suggested conceptual restructuring to bring together the five sectors of telecommunications, television, radio, broadcasting standards and radio spectrum allocations under a single-umbrella communications regulator.
Emanating from this, the Communications Act 2003 established the Office of Communications (OFCOM) as the regulator for all communications industries to further the interests of citizens and consumers.
The vice president further said that American law imposed limitations on multiple ownerships and cross-ownership of media establishments across radio, television and print media.
This was done to prevent emergence of monopolies and to ensure adequacy of independent media voices in the market that could serve public interests, localization of news and bring about diversity, he said.
The vice president also raised the issue of eroding value of the institution of Editor and said, "I venture to hope that your debate would also focus on the erosion of the institution of the editor in our media organisations."
"When media space is treated as real estate or as airline seats for purpose of revenue maximisation, and when media products are sold as jeans or soaps for marketing purposes, editors end up giving way to marketing departments," he added.
He hoped that all stakeholders - the government, media organisations and industry, civil society, advertisers and sponsors, and the audience and readership of the media "must address the various concerns regarding the profession and work towards securing and defending the public good."
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