Former Chief Justice of India J.S. Verma, who is also the chairman of News Broadcasting Standards Authority a self-regulatory body for news channels, on Tuesday advocated self regulation for the media.
“Anything which is result of self-regulation is more lasting. I always believe in freedom of expression. But rights and duties are co-related,” Mr Verma stated.
Speaking at a seminar Mr Verma stated that the impact of media, particularly electronic media, is huge. “It just needs to be more circumspect,” he added.
The former CJI also complimented electronic media for exercising restraint and caution during the coverage of the Allahabad high court verdict on Ayodhya title suits. “There ought to be mechanism to ensure objectivity so that information does not get mixed with opinion,” he added.
Mr Verma said NBSA is planning to introduce a short training programme for young journalists with the help of National Judicial Academy in Bhopal to acquaint them about judicial matters.
“We hope this will help young journalists,” he added.