NEW DELHI (AP) — Government officials in India have ordered a popular news channel to go off the air for a day over its coverage of an attack on an Indian air base in January.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in an order Thursday that NDTV India was being penalized for broadcasting sensitive details of the attack on the military base in the northern town of Pathankot that left seven soldiers dead. Authorities have blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack on the sprawling base that lasted for nearly four days.

The news channel has said its coverage was fair and balanced and didn’t include any details not aired by other news stations. It said it is exploring all legal options to reverse the ban slated for next Wednesday.

The order to ban the channel has been criticized by other media organizations.

The Editors’ Guild of India said the order was unprecedented and that the federal government appeared to have given itself the power “to intervene in the functioning of the media and take arbitrary punitive action as and when it does not agree with the coverage.” The organization, a grouping of the editors of all major newspapers and magazines in the country, said if the government finds any media coverage objectionable, it can approach the courts.

Several prominent journalists also criticized the order.

“The banning of NDTV India is a shocking flexing of govt muscle over free media. Don’t shoot the messenger,” journalist Sagarika Ghose tweeted.

“Govt pulling TV news channels off air is a dangerous trend,” Rahul Kanwal, a top news anchor and editor, said on Twitter.

India routinely asks entertainment TV channels to censor words it deems too racy for local audiences. But the order against NDTV India is the first such ban on a television station for its reporting of a militant attack.

In insurgency-wracked Indian-controlled Kashmir, however, it’s not uncommon for local newspapers to be barred from publishing for several days in a row when cycles of protests and violence flare up.

One newspaper, the Kashmir Reader, has been banned for over a month with officials saying its contents could incite violence.</s>This story is from November 4, 2016

(Representative image)

NEW DELHI: The government directed Hindi news channel NDTV India on Thursday to go off air for 24 hours starting from midnight on November 9 for allegedly jeopardizing national security while covering the terror attack on Pathankot airbase in January.This is the first time that a broadcaster has been penalized over coverage of a terror attack. According to the information and broadcasting ministry order, the channel’s anchor and reporter had revealed sensitive information during the coverage of the attack that could have been readily picked up by terrorists hiding in the airbase and their handlers had the potential to “cause massive harm not only to national security but also to the lives of civilians and defence personnel”. The channel has denied the charge, claiming that it has been singled out.While the operation to flush out the terrorists was still on, the channel had disclosed information on ammunition stockpiled in the airbase, fighter planes like MIGs mortars and fuel tanks.Official sources said that as the content appeared to violate the programming norms, a show-cause notice was issued to the channel in January. The channel appealed against the order before the inter-ministerial committee (IMC), arguing that the purported violations were based on “subjective interpretation” and that most of the information was already available in print, electronic and social media.However, the committee remained unconvinced and observed that the channel “appeared to give exact location of the remaining terrorists vis-a-vis sensitive assets in their vicinity.”The panel said that the channel had given the location of an ammunition depot, a school and residential premises vis-a-vis the space where the terrorists were holed up and recommended that the channel be taken off air for 30 days as penalty for causing “threat to national security”. It later restricted the ban period to a day.A channel executive said that it had been unfairly singled out and the order would be challenged in the appropriate forum. The ministry, however, maintained that the decision was taken after it was found that the channel had “not shown restraint, responsibility and sensitivity and revealed strategically sensitive details”.In June 2015, the I&B ministry had introduced a new clause in the programme code that said broadcasters were prohibited from “live coverage of any anti-terrorist operation by security forces, wherein media coverage shall be restricted to periodic briefing by an officer designated by the appropriate government till such operation concludes”.</s>NEW DELHI — Government officials in India have ordered a popular news channel to go off the air for a day over its coverage of an attack on an Indian air base in January.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in an order Thursday that NDTV India was being penalized for broadcasting sensitive details of the attack on the military base in the northern town of Pathankot that left seven soldiers dead. Authorities have blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack on the sprawling base that lasted for nearly four days.

The news channel has said its coverage was fair and balanced and didn't include any details not aired by other news stations. It said it is exploring all legal options to reverse the ban slated for next Wednesday.

The order to ban the channel has been criticized by other media organizations.

The Editors' Guild of India said the order was unprecedented and that the federal government appeared to have given itself the power "to intervene in the functioning of the media and take arbitrary punitive action as and when it does not agree with the coverage." The organization, a grouping of the editors of all major newspapers and magazines in the country, said if the government finds any media coverage objectionable, it can approach the courts.

India routinely asks entertainment TV channels to censor words it deems too racy for local audiences. But the order against NDTV India is the first such ban on a television station for its reporting of a militant attack.

In insurgency-wracked Indian-controlled Kashmir, however, it's not uncommon for local newspapers to be barred from publishing for several days in a row when cycles of protests and violence flare up.

One newspaper, the Kashmir Reader, has been banned for over a month with officials saying its contents could incite violence.</s>The Editors Guild of India has strongly condemned the unprecedented decision of an inter- ministerial panel to take a leading Hindi channel off air for a day and termed it a “direct violation” of the freedom of the press.



 The editor’s body demanded that the order be “immediately rescinded”.



 The inter-ministerial panel constituted by the I and B ministry had concluded that the channel ‘NDTV India’ had revealed crucial and “strategically sensitive” information when the terror attack on Pathankot IAF base was being carried out in January, according to official sources.



 The I and B ministry while invoking the powers under the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act said it “orders to prohibit the transmission or re-transmission of NDTV India channel for one day on any platform throughout India with effect from 00:01 hrs on 9th November,2016 till 00:01 hrs of 10th November, 2016”.



 “The Editors Guild of India strongly condemns the unprecedented decision of the inter-ministerial committee of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to take NDTV India off the air for a day and demands that the order be immediately rescinded,” the Guild said in a statement.



 NDTV in its response to a show cause by the government has maintained that its coverage was “sober” and did not carry any information that had not been covered by the rest of the media, and was in the public domain, it said.



 “The decision to take the channel off the air for a day is a direct violation of the freedom of the media and therefore the citizens of India and amounts to harsh censorship imposed by the government reminiscent of the Emergency.



 “This first-of-its-kind order to impose a blackout has seen the central government entrust itself with the power to intervene in the functioning of the media and take arbitrary punitive action as and when it does not agree with the coverage,” the statement said.



 This is the first-ever such order against a TV channel over its coverage of a terror attack, the norms regarding which were notified last year.



 “There are various legal remedies available to both a citizen and a state in the court of law to have action taken for any irresponsible media coverage.



 “Imposing a ban without resorting to judicial intervention or oversight violates the fundamental principles of freedom and justice. The Editors Guild of India calls for an immediate withdrawal of the ban order,” it added.</s>The Guild compared this censorship to that of the Emergency.

Saying that taking NDTV India off the air is “a direct violation of the freedom of the media,” the Editors Guild of India issued a statement condemning the government’s actions.

“The Editors Guild of India strongly condemns the unprecedented decision of the inter-ministerial committee of the Union Ministry of Information Broadcasting to take NDTV India off the air for a day and demands that the order be immediately rescinded,” said the statement.

“The ostensible reason for the order as reported is that the channel's coverage of the Pathankot terror attack on January 2, 2016 that the government claims gave out sensitive information to the handlers of terrorists. NDTV in its response to a show cause by the government has maintained that its coverage was sober and did not carry any information that had not been covered by the rest of the media, and was in the public domain,” the statement continued.

Comparing this to media censorship during the Emergency, the Guild accused the government of trying to “intervene in the functioning of the media.”

“The decision to take the channel off the air for a day is a direct violation of the freedom of the media and therefore the citizens of India and amounts to harsh censorship imposed by the government reminiscent of the Emergency. This first-of-its-kind order to impose a blackout has seen the Central government entrust itself with the power to intervene in the functioning of the media and take arbitrary punitive action as and when it does not agree with the coverage.”

“There are various legal remedies available to both a citizen and a state in the Court of Law to have action taken for any irresponsible media coverage. Imposing a ban without resorting to judicial intervention or oversight violates the fundamental principles of freedom and justice. The Editors Guild of India calls for an immediate withdrawal of the ban order,” said the statement.

The statement was signed by the president of the Editors Guild Raj Chengappa, general secretary Prakash Dube and treasurer Seema Mustafa.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had on Thursday, ordered NDTV India to go off air for a day in breach of the programme code governing content in news channels.</s>Journalists and major opposition politicians on Friday strongly condemned and asked the government to immediately rescind its Emergency-like decision to ban Hindi news channel NDTV India for a day for airing “strategically sensitive details” during the Pathankot terror attack.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has directed the news channel to go off air from the midnight of November 8 to midnight of November 9 for allegedly breaching broadcast norms in its coverage of the January 2 terror attack on the IAF base in Punjab.

The NDTV in a statement strongly refuted the charges and said it “is examining all options” to challenge the government order likened to Emergency days in India, which ranks 133 among 180 countries in the 2016 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.

“Every channel and newspaper had similar coverage. In fact NDTV’s coverage was particularly balanced. After the dark days of the Emergency when the press was fettered, it is extraordinary that NDTV is being proceeded against in this manner,” the NDTV said.

The channel has the option to appeal the order before a tribunal.

Rallying behind the news channel, the Editors Guild of India, the Broadcast Editors Association (BEA), the News Broadcasters Association (NBA), the Indian Journalists Union (IJU) and the All India Newspaper Editors Conference (AINEC) all condemned the government decision that came after the recommendation of an inter-ministerial panel instituted by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

The Editors Guild said it was an “unprecedented decision” that violated the freedom of the media and therefore of the citizens of India.

“(It) amounts to harsh censorship imposed by the government reminiscent of the Emergency,” it said.

The Guild said the central government with this decision had entrusted itself with the power to intervene in the functioning of the media and take arbitrary punitive action when it did not agree with the coverage.

Echoing the concern, the BEA demanded an immediate withdrawal of the order while NBA wondered why the government singled out NDTV when other channels also covered the terror attack and “all such reports were available in the public domain”.

The Indian Journalists Union said the government action “portended coming back of the dark days of Emergency when the media was gagged”.

The Mumbai Press Club, which represents over 2,500 journalists, said the decision “does not augur well for freedom of expression of the country”.

Added the All India Newspaper Editors Conference: “It is a murder of the freedom of speech and expression, which is a step towards totalitarianism.”

Political leaders, including Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, RJD leader Lalu Prasad and Delhi and West Bengal Chief Ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee also condemned the “unprecedented” decision that they said reflected the government’s Emergency-like attitude.

“Detaining opposition leaders, blacking out TV channels – all in a day’s work in Modiji’s India. NDTV Banned – shocking and unprecedented,” Gandhi tweeted.

Kejriwal said he hoped the “whole media” would go off air for a day to express solidarity with NDTV India.

Banerjee said: “The NDTV ban is shocking. If the government had issues with the Pathankot coverage, there are provisions available. But the ban shows an Emergency-like attitude.”

Lalu Prasad questioned Prime Minister Modi over “what kind of democracy” he was building in India.

Swaraj Abhiyan of activists Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan said banning NDTV “is a clear indication that the present government is intolerant to any independent voices. The message is loud and clear – Either fall in line, or get muzzled!”</s>The one-day ban on a leading Hindi TV channel 'NDTV India' by the Centre over its coverage of Pathankot attack drew sharp condemnation today from opposition parties and media bodies which called it "shocking and authoritarian" and reminiscent of Emergency days.



 The leaders of the non-BJP parties and the media bodies also demanded immediate withdrawal of the order imposing the blackout on November 9.



 There was also a suggestion by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh that all newspapers and channels "show courage" and "go off air and not publish" on that day to register their protest.



 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the order of the inter-ministerial panel of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry showed that an emergency-like situation prevailed in the country while Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi slammed it as "shocking and unprecedented".



 The Editors Guild of India condemned the order as a "direct violation" of the freedom of the press and similar sentiments were echoed by the Broadcast Editors' Association (BEA).



 NDTV while terming the order as "shocking" has alleged that it has been "singled out" and said it is examining all options in the matter.



 "The Editors Guild of India strongly condemns the unprecedented decision of the inter-ministerial committee of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to take NDTV India off the air for a day and demands that the order be immediately rescinded," the Guild said in a statement.



 "The decision to take the channel off the air for a day is a direct violation of the freedom of the media and therefore the citizens of India and amounts to harsh censorship imposed by the government reminiscent of the Emergency."



 The BEA while expressing deep concern at the government's decision said imposing a ban is a violation of freedom of expression. Alleging that the government action smacked of "authoritarianism and intimidation", Rahul and other Congress leaders hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



 "Detaining opposition leaders, blacking out tv channels- all in a day's work in Modiji's India. "NDTVBanned-shocking and unprecedented (sic)," the Congress Vice President said on twitter.



 Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who is also political secretary to party president Sonia Gandhi, said, "Government's decision to ban NDTV India smacks of authoritarianism and intimidation."



 Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah lashed out at the Centre, asking if these were the promised "achhe din (good days)". "NDTV ban is shocking. If Government had issues with Pathankot coverage, there are provisions available. But ban shows an Emergency-like attitude.," Banerjee said in a statement in Kolkata.



 "I hope the whole media goes off air for a day in solidarity wid NDTV. Congratulations to Editors Guild for showing courage to stand up against Modi Govt's dictatorship," Kejriwal tweeted.</s>The channel was accused of revealing strategic operational details during the Pathankot attack

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Thursday ordered NDTV India to go off air for a day in breach of the programme code governing content in news channels.

The move, a Ministry official said, followed recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee, which concluded that the channel’s coverage of the Pathankot terrorist attack revealed strategically sensitive details of the government’s offensive against terrorists. As a result of the order, the news channel will go off air for a day from 1 pm on November 9.

NDTV did not respond to requests for comment.

The order served on the channel on November 2 accuses the channel of revealing sensitive operational details — such as the location of ammunition depot; the place where the terrorists were holed up; location of school and residential areas — while the armed forces were trying to kill the terrorists. The order goes on to state that such crucial information had the potential to cause massive harm not only to the national security but also to lives of civilians and defence personnel.

The panel initially felt that taking the channel off for 30 days for harming national security would be justified. The Ministry, however, reminded it of a rul,e introduced in June 2015, concerning advisories to all news channels regarding coverage of anti-terrorist operations. The panel then decided to impose restrictions for a day.</s>NEW DELHI: An Inter-ministerial committee of the I and B ministry has recommended that a leading Hindi news channel be taken off air for a day after it concluded that the broadcaster had revealed “strategically-sensitive” details while covering the Pathankot terrorist attack.

The ministry may now ask the channel NDTV India to be taken off air for a day on November 9, according to sources, in what would be the first order against a broadcaster over its coverage of terrorist attacks. Efforts to reach the channel for its comments could not fructify.

The matter pertains to the coverage of the Pathankot terror attack by the channel where the committee felt that “such crucial information” could have been readily picked by terrorist handlers and had the potential to “cause massive harm not only to the national security, but also to lives of civilians and defence personnel.”

When the operation was on in January this year, it allegedly revealed information on the ammunition stockpiled in the airbase, MIGs, fighter-planes, rocket-launchers, mortars, helicopters, fuel-tanks etc “which was likely to be used by the terrorists or their handlers to cause massive harm, the sources said. Official sources said that as the content appeared to be violative of the programming norms, a show cause notice was issued to the channel.

In its reply, the channel replied that it was a case of “subjective interpretation” and the most of the information they had put out was already in public domain in print, electronic and social media.

The committee, in its order, however observed that the channel “appeared to give out the exact location of the remaining terrorists with regard to the sensitive assets in their vicinity” when they telecast in real time.

The panel expressed “grave concern” that this was a matter of national security and that the channel had revealed sensitive details like location of ammunition depot viz-a-viz the space where the terrorists were holed up, location of school and residential areas.

“Such crucial information could have been readily picked by their handlers, which had the potential to cause massive harm not only to the national security, but also to lives of civilians and defence personnel,” the committee said disagreeing with the channel’s contention that similar content was carried by newspapers.</s>Why was NDTV Ltd. served with an order to take its Hindi channel, NDTV India, off the air from midnight of November 9 to midnight of November 10?

An Inter-ministerial Committee (IMC) comprising joint secretaries Home, Defence, I&B, Health and Family Welfare, Consumer Affairs, Law and Justice, External Affairs, Women and Child Development and representative of the Advertising Standards Council of India, found the channel to have violated the provisions of the programme code, specifically, clause 6 (1) (p) of the code, in its coverage of the Pathankot terrorist attack on 4.01.2016.

This clause says no programme shall telecast live coverage of anti-terrorist operation by security forces; the coverage will be restricted to periodic briefing by designated officer.

When was the clause added?

In June 2015, the BJP-led NDA government added 6 (1) p to the Programme Code.

What is the programme code which news channels and entertainment channels are directed to follow?

The Programme and Advertising Code of the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994, has been incorporated in the Cable Act, and is taken from the content code governing All India Radio (AIR), which in turn has been framed around the restrictions to free speech under 19 (2) of the Constitution. Clause 6 (1) (p) was added in June 2015 to the code.

Is it the first time that a news channel has been served with such an order?

Yes. This will be the first such instance since the programme code was amended by the BJP Government to include restrictions on the live telecast of terror operations.

Was NDTV India the only channel to violate this code in its Pathankot coverage?

In its defence before the committee, NDTV has stated that other news channels and sections of media also reported the event as it unfolded.

Did the channel’s reportage endanger the security of the country?

In its report, the IMC has “apprehended” that the information aired on the channel had the potential to change the very course of operations and would have caused destruction of unimaginable proportions.

Can NDTV India appeal against the Inter-ministerial committee order?

Yes, it can take legal recourse by appealing against the November 2 order.

Is the action against NDTV India a case of Government overreach?

Self-regulatory bodies like the News Broadcast Standards Authority (NBSA) set up by the news broadcasters association and the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC), headed by retired judges of the Supreme Court and High Court, regularly address complaints and transgressions of the programme code on receipt of complaints.

What are the powers of these self-regulatory authorities?

Both NBSA and BCCC have the power to issue advisories, censure, impose penalties and order channels off air if found to be in violation of the programme code governing entertainment and news. From censuring Times Now to other news channels, the NBSA’s orders are largely considered sacrosanct by news channels.
The Editors Guild of India protests the Indian Government's order to shut down Hindi news channel NDTV India for 24 hours alleging the channel's coverage of January’s deadly attack on Pathankot air base revealed sensitive military secrets. NDTV denies the charges, and says it will challenge this unprecedented order.