The Hindu : I&B to review policy on operation of foreign news agencies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 20, 2003

National

National

I&B to review policy on operation of foreign news agencies

By Anita Joshua

NEW DELHI JUNE 19. After keeping the issue of allowing foreign news agencies to operate directly from India in abeyance for over a year, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has now apparently decided to review the existing policy governing them.

Now that a new regime is in place vis-à-vis news — following the contentious decision of June 25, 2002 to allow foreign investment/participation in the print media — the Ministry has decided to open the policy for operation of foreign news agencies in the country to scrutiny for possible modification.

With this end in view, the Ministry will invite opinions and suggestions from the public in general and the media, in particular, on the existing policy. Now governed by a Cabinet decision of 1956, foreign news agencies are only allowed to distribute news within the country through an Indian news agency owned and managed by Indians.

Based on the recommendations of the First Commission, the Cabinet had in 1956 decided that "communication facilities should be granted to foreign news agencies only where the distribution of news within the country is to be effected through an Indian news agency owned and managed by Indians, which would have full and final authority in the selection of foreign news for distribution, and which would also be in a position to supply Indian news in a reasonable volume to the foreign news agency with whom they have a working arrangement''.

Further, the Cabinet had stipulated that technical facilities would be granted only on the application of the Indian news agency "to ensure that the facilities so granted are used to the advantage and benefit of the country''. Also, as per the decision, it is the responsibility of the Indian news agency to ensure that the facilities so granted are used to the advantage and benefit of the country.

The only exception to this rule has been made in the case of financial news offered by foreign news agencies. Allowed on a case-to-case basis, direct distribution of financial news by foreign news agencies is permissible to select clients for their own use and not for further reproduction and publication.

Though the matter came up for consideration when the spadework was being done to open the print media to foreign investment/participation, the Ministry preferred to defer it then to ease the industry into the new regime of greater foreign involvement in the Indian media.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National