The union government is all set to bring in new content code for television (TV) programs. The government feels that the current one is not effective.

While addressing the News Television Summit 2008 Secretary in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Sushma Singh said, “We are contemplating a review of the existing Content Code as it needs to be at par with changing times.”

This is the third time since the present UPA government is proposing to bring a new draft on the content code. Both the government and the public broadcasters could not reach to a consensus on the earlier two occasions.

Singh said though the government does not want to interfere with media freedom, but it is concerned at the violent and disturbing scenes shown by some news channels under the garb of crime-based shows. She urged the media to adhere to journalistic ethics.

The private broadcasters on the other hand want their own content code and they see this move by the government as interference on their editorial control. The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) which is the apex body of all private news channels said that it will bring its own guidelines on self-regulations within the next 30 days. Others broadcasters like the Indian Broadcasting Foundation and FM radio channels also want to have their own regulations on content in place.

Singh also pointed out that though the broadcasters are against the government's intervention in the field of content regulation, "We have given licenses to 33 new TV channels this year. This shows our liberal attitude towards television channels."

present, the broadcasters in the country are govern only by the two laws of Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and the programme and advertising code for Doordarshan and All India Radio.