Press Council chief Justice Markandey Katju may not have expected such a quick response to his lament.
The Broadcast Editors Association,a body of editors of over a dozen TV news channels,has issued a 10-point advisory to its members on how to cover or not cover the expected birth of superstar Amitabh Bachchans grandchild/grandchildren.
According to N K Singh,editor-in-chief of Sadhna News and BEAs general secretary,the advisory was prepared on November 4 and issued to member editors the next day. The 10 directives read like a good-manners guide to TV journalism: no pre-coverage of the event; story of birth of baby to run only after,and on basis of,official announcement; story not to run on breaking news band; no camera or OB vans at hospital or any other location related to the story; go for photo-op or press conference if invited; not carry any MMS or photo of the child; no astrology show to be done on this issue; no 11.11.11 astro show to be done; duration of story to be around a minute/90 seconds; unauthorised entry into hospital not permitted.
In an interaction with editors in Delhi on October 10,Justice Katju had said: …The media often tries to divert… attention to non-issues,such as that the wife of an actor has become pregnant,whether that lady will give birth to a single child or twins… Are these the real issues facing the nation?