The Broadcasting Code adopted by the Fourth Asian Broadcasting Conference in 1962 lists certain cardinal principles to be followed by the electronic media. They include:

• To ensure the objective presentation of news and fair and unbiased comment
• To promote the advancement of education and culture
• To raise and maintain high standards of decency and decorum in all programmes
• To provide programmes for the young which, by variety and content, will inculcate the principles of good citizenship
• To promote communal harmony, religious tolerance and international understanding
• To treat controversial public issues in an impartial and dispassionate manner
• To respect human rights and dignity

However, none of these govern the functioning of the Indian media of today. So why to have these age-old principles in place and allow them to gather dust? Instead, we shall let the Indian media to redefine these principles to justify their ‘modus operandi’. Here they are:

1.     To ensure sensationalism at all costs, come what may.
We shall convince ourselves that ‘Yuvraj Singh’ is the best Indian to have ever played cricket after hitting six sixes in an over. We shall perpetrate unwarranted jingoism to gather support for Harbhajan even if he is guilty. We shall make sure that November is remembered for CAT more than anything else. We shall portray Amitabh Bachan as a larger than life character.

2.     To ensure utmost importance to news of zero value
We shall ensure that we will give news concerning SRK a top priority than the 123 nuclear agreement. Pictures of skimpily clad women in bikinis are an absolute requirement in national dailies. We shall consider it our social responsibility to inform people about the woman who delivered triplets in a remote village in the North-east and make sure that we follow it up until she is discharged from the hospital.

3.     To promote advancement of sex education and western culture
We shall continue to debate whether sex education is a must in schools by frequently writing columns. We will dedicate a supplementary magazine titled ‘Life’ every week to educate people upon how to cope with broken marriages and how can sex help one to get over the bereavement of his/her spouse (as if ‘Life’ was all about sex and stress). We shall also dedicate a column to refute religious ‘taboos’ with scientific justifications from unqualified medical practitioners.

4.     To ensure unverified/unconfirmed material is broadcasted/published
We shall ensure that every rumour that we hear doesn’t go unpublished/unprinted. If the news is of national interest, we will do our every bit to publish unverified information and stir up a nation-wide debate.

5.     To ensure people are misguided by propagating our stance on a controversial issue
We will misguide people by broadcasting our opinionated rendition of a controversial event or occurrence. By doing so, we will pat our own backs and proudly claim that our opinion concurs with that of the masses.

6.     To ensure that the private lives of movie personalities are breached and put under the scanner
We shall intrude the privacy of the personalities by constantly putting their personal lives under the scanner. In what we call a candid interview, we will question anything objectionable and expect them to answer.

No wonder someone said only sex and SRK sell in India!