Airing Hate Speech —- Action Inevitable

The Supreme Court has finally laid its hand on the issue which should have been addressed long ago: hate speech that is spread through TV channels, especially on their prime-time shows. Barring few respectable exceptions—run by people who have not crossed the fine line of objectivity so far—what gets the more airtime these days in the country is one thing or the other primarily focusing on ridiculing the other commuting, poking, accusing them of almost everything happening around, which results in the atmosphere of hate. While most people consume the content presented to them on the visual media, the same, coated with hate, leaves an impact: turns both the communities hostile to each other.

It is so bizarre to know that the news channels are feeding their audience content of hate, changing their perception, killing the ingrained rationality in them, and manipulating their conscience to make decisions that are driven by bias: the seed for the same is sown by these so-called news channels every night. The SC has focused on the content aired on these news channels and has termed the medium as the chief medium of hate speech which plays its role in vitiating the environment across the country. What is more ironic is that, out of hate that is spread through these mediums, which were supposed to educate people, the owners make a profit out of it and the same has been very well noted by the bench of Justices K M Joseph and Hrishikesh Roy.

In all this, the Government has not been so far able to do much and the same has been noted by the SC which has asked the Government to come up with its stand. Very well so, because the news channels cannot be allowed to take it all for granted, cross the line, and throw the ethics to the wind; there very well is a need for regulations, which could be ensured by an institution, followed by one and all. As the Government has been asked to submit its response, the SC has also hinted at laying down the guidelines till a legislation is brought to regulate the same. The SC must go ahead with it because that is what is needed at this point. It is a matter which needs urgent and without-delay attention of the judiciary, because, as of now, the Government has entirely failed in regulating, and filtering the content of prime-time debate shows that make no sense; those shows have been meticulously framed and designed just for vested interests because ‘spicy’ content brings the TRPs and TRPs bring heaps of money. The country needs a vibrant, responsible, and objective media, not the hatemongers. Period!