Expensive mistake

IN Media Watch Briefs | 14/11/2011

When a former apex court judge takes on a TV channel the latter ends up paying dearly for its offence. First the High Court ordered the Times Now channel to deposit Rs 20 crore in cash and a bank guarantee of Rs 80 crore before it would hear its appeal. The channel had appealed against a district court verdict ordering it to pay Rs 100 crore in damages to Justice P B Sawant for mistakenly carrying his photograph instead of that of a judge implicated in a scam. On November 14 the Supreme Court declined to interfere with the High Court order. So the money will have to be coughed up before the High Court hears the appeal.

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Media Watch Briefs

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.