The Government is working to reform the film certification process so that the use of scissors is limited as much as possible, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said on Wednesday,
Speaking at an event organised by the CII, Rathore, however clarified that there will be restrictions as anything that “you can’t speak off camera, you can’t speak on the camera.”
The Minister further said the Government is clear that freedom of expression must be encouraged and any restrictions should be in line with the constitution. He pointed out news innovations, disruptions in the media and entertainment sector are happening at a fast pace and there is a need to bring a change in rules. He, however, added it can be done only after wider consultation so that there is a well thought out policy and no knee-jerk reaction.
Speaking about the online media, he said the rules which are there for broadcast and print media are not applicable to it, which is an aspect that needs to be looked into.
Referring to the broadcasting sector, he said there are a mindboggling number of 881 channels, including 349 in the news category, and more are coming up.
He also said as channels compete for ratings, it is important that news should be just news and is not created. He also said there are very few players in the Direct To Home (DTH) Television sector and the Information and Broadcasting ministry is soon going to bring in a new policy to help it spread.