The government urged the media to avoid coverage of the armed forces. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued an advisory to all the media channels urging them to refrain from broadcasting live coverage of defence operations and the movement of security forces. The ministry has also urged the media channels to report responsibly in the interest of national security. Already the situation has become intense and tense. The media outlets have been urged to report accurately and also in the interest of national security. Social media users have also been advised to use social media carefully and responsibly. Any kind of misinformation, fake news, and disinformation will not be supported or encouraged by the government. The ministry has also advised of possibilities of media failure this time. Unlike past incidents like the Kargil War, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and the Kandahar hijacking, the ministry pointed out that unrestricted media coverage during these events had “unintended adverse consequences on national interests.” 6(1)(p) of the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021, which states, “No program should be carried in the cable service that contains live coverage of any anti-terrorist operation by security forces, wherein media coverage shall be restricted to periodic briefings by an officer designated by the appropriate government until such operation concludes.” Also, the media stakeholders have been advised to be careful and responsible. Any kind of offence from the media houses, and they will be liable for their actions themselves.
(Subham Singh)
