Convenient restrictions

IN Media Watch Briefs | 20/03/2016

The Kerala government has imposed restrictions on providing information on vigilance probes against ministers, MLAs, MPs and all-India service officials under the RTI Act. The Indian Express reported that according to a government notification issued in January the T-Branch (Top Secret Section) of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has been excluded from the purview of the RTI Act under the provisions in then RTI Act’s Section 24. The T-branch "deals with enquiries pertaining to the chief minister, ministers, MLAs, MPs, former ministers and all-India service officers" according to IE.

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Amazon resisting voluntary censorship

The new term for self censorship is voluntary censorship, as proposed by companies like Netflix and Hotstar. ET reports that streaming video service Amazon Prime is opposing a move by its peers to adopt a voluntary censorship code in anticipation of the Indian government coming up with its own rules. Amazon is resisting because it fears that it may alienate paying subscribers.

Let the games begin

Clearly, the run to the 2019 elections is on. A journalist received a call from someone saying they were from Aajtak channel and were conducting a survey, asking whom she was going to vote for in 2019. On being told that her vote was secret, the caller assumed she wasn't going to vote for 'Modiji'. The caller, a woman, also didn't identify herself. A month or two earlier the same journalist received a call, this time from a man, asking if she was going to vote for the BSP.