New Delhi: The government on Wednesday, August 5, informed the Lok Sabha that no grievances or formal representations concerning the autonomy, appointments, or editorial functioning of public broadcasters were received from journalists, employees, or media bodies in the last year.
There were, though, seven complaints regarding appointments in the public broadcasters, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said in a written reply to a question by Samajwadi Party MPs Priya Saroj and Pushpendra Saroj.
“In the last one year, no grievances or formal representations received from journalists, employees or media bodies concerning autonomy, appointments or editorial functioning of public broadcasters. However, seven complaints regarding appointment were received from the applicants,” the minister said.
The MPs had also sought details of editorial or content-related complaints alleging bias, lack of transparency or compromised independence, and the findings of internal reviews or oversight mechanisms at public service broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, which has Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR) as its constituents.
In its response, the government said editorial matters are regularly reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and senior editorial teams, and guidance and corrective measures are taken whenever required to improve the quality, accuracy, balance and presentation of news while ensuring compliance with Prasar Bharati’s editorial policies and Programme Code.
It said viewer complaints or feedback, including those related to editorial content, are forwarded to the relevant editorial team for appropriate action under the established policy.
The government also informed the House that the Centre’s Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) scheme for the development, modernisation and upgradation of Prasar Bharati’s broadcasting infrastructure has been extended till March 2027.
