20 Nov The HIndu Editorial

 Ed-1

Curbing on-air bigotry: On free speech, hate speech and regulation

The distinction between free speech and hate speech should be at the heart of regulation

The Supreme Court’s posers to the Union government on the measures it can and is willing to take against communally slanted television coverage should not end in undesirable consequences. The questions appear to be an attempt to elicit a commitment to a course of action that will curb inflammatory journalism on broadcast media. However, the Court’s warning that if the government fails to explain its mechanism to deal with the problem, it would create one on its own may take the debate down a slippery slope. The Court is hearing petitions against the communal colour given by some channels to the incidence of large clusters of COVID-19 infections among those who attended a Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi. The portrayal of the participants as intentional super-spreaders was vicious and motivated. Curiously, the Centre seems reluctant to intervene, while the Court seems to be batting for greater media regulation. The Centre’s affidavit stated that media coverage “predominantly struck a balanced and neutral perspective” and that it was open to the viewers to choose from a number of varying perspectives given by different media channels. However, the Court is keen to know what action has been taken under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act against offending broadcasters. One hopes that the Centre’s position arises from a commitment to media freedom, and is not based on a partisan leniency towards channels that peddled a certain narrative that suited its interests.

The Court appears unconvinced that the present mechanism of self-regulation, the National Broadcasting Standards Authority, is effective. It would be in order if the self-regulation mechanism deals with departures from normative journalism. And the government is, in any case, empowered under the Act to prohibit transmission of programmes that violate the programme or advertising codes (Section 19) and even an entire channel, in public interest (Section 20). In the past, channels have been asked by the I&B Ministry to take some programmes off the air. There is no doubt that egregious violations of norms are not uncommon. Depending on the damage done to individuals or institutions, or even society at large, there is enough scope for action under the penal law. However, there is a class of violation of norms in broadcasting that stands apart. The case of Sudarshan News, which began a series that propagated hate against Muslims, is a flagrant example. The government has merely administered a ‘caution’ to the channel and asked it to moderate the content of future episodes and avoid breaching the Programme Code. In September, while ordering the suspension of further episodes, the Court distinguished between free speech and ‘hate speech’. The distinction should be at the heart of any order creating a new mechanism, if at all one is needed, to deal with broadcast media excesses.

1. curb (verb) – control, contain, restrict, limit.Curbing--को रोकने
2. on-air (adjective) – (while) broadcasting on radio/television.
3. bigotry (noun) – prejudice, bias, partiality, injustice.कट्टरता
4. free speech (noun) – the right to express one’s opinions publicly (without any restraint).
5. hate speech (noun) – abusive or disrespectful speech.
6. regulation (noun) – supervision, policing, overseeing, monitoring, inspection.
7. distinction (noun) – difference, contrast, dissimilarity, variation.भेद, अंतर, विशिष्टता
8. at the heart of (phrase) – at the most important part of.
9. poser (noun) – difficult question, awkward problem, vexed question.
10. measure (noun) – course of action, action, step, procedure.
11. slanted (adjective) – misrepresented, perverted, misreported, falsified.तिरछा करना, मुड़ना, झुकाना
12. अवांछनीय--undesirable
13. consequence (noun) – result, outcome, effect; ramification, repercussion.
14. elicit (verb) – obtain, bring forth, bring out, extract, evoke.प्रकाश में लाना
15. course of action (phrase) – measure, action/step, procedure.
16. inflammatory (adjective) – provocative, provoking, agitating, fomenting.भड़काऊ
17. mechanism (noun) – procedure, process, method/technique.
18. on one’s own (phrase) – alone, all alone, by oneself, all by oneself.
19. take down (phrasal verb) – remove, dismantle, demolish, take apart.
20. slippery slope/ground (noun) – a series of actions that can’t be controlled over once it has begun and the series of actions are going to create a lot of problems.
21. incidence (noun) – it refers to the number of new cases that develop in a given period of time whereas  prevalence refers to the number of cases of a disease that are present in a particular population at a given time.
22. incidence (noun) – occurrence.
23. cluster (noun) – a group (of people/things considered as a unit).समूहों
24. portrayal (noun) – narrative, representation, characterization, depiction.वर्णन
25. intentional (adjective) – deliberate, wilful, pre-planned.
26. super-spreader (noun) – a person/patient who infects significantly/disproportionately a large number of people with a disease/virus than usual.
27. vicious (adjective) – spiteful, menacing, heinous, hostile, hate-filled.शातिर
28. curiously (adverb) – mysteriously, surprisingly, unexpectedly.मजे की बात है
29. reluctant (adjective) – unwilling, disinclined, unenthusiastic.अनिच्छुक
30. affidavit (noun) – sworn statement, self attestation, self declaration.
31. bat (verb) – defend the interests of; support.
32. हस्तक्षेप करना--intervene
33. कहा गया है--stated
34. मारना--struck
35. बदल जाना--varying
36. उत्सुक--keen
37. predominantly (adverb) – mainly, mostly, commonly.मुख्य रूप से
38. strike a balance (phrase) – find a fair & reasonable line of action between two contrasting things.
39. neutral (adjective) – unbiased, impartial, fair-minded, equitable.
40. perspective (noun) – outlook, viewpoint, approach.
41. given (preposition) – considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.
42. keen (adjective) – eager, desirous, ready.
43. Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act (noun) – Enacted by Indian Parliament in 1995, this act is to regulate the operation of cable television networks in the country.
44. offending (adjective) – breaking/violating (the law).हमलावर
45. partisan (adjective) – biased, prejudiced, one-sided.पक्षपातपूर्ण
46. leniency (noun) – mercy, clemency, forgiveness/forbearance, soft-heartedness.उदारता
47. peddle (verb) – advocate, urge, recommend, champion.तंग करना
48. narrative (noun) – a representation of a particular situation; portrayal/account.कथा, कहानी
49. suited--अनुकूल,योग्य
50. self-regulation (noun) – self-monitoring; the ability to understand and manage your behaviour and your reactions to feelings and things happening around you.
51. National Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) (noun) – News Broadcasting Standards Authority is an independent body set up by the News Broadcasters Association. Its task is to consider and adjudicate upon complaints about broadcasts.
52. in order (phrase) – appropriate, fitting, suitable, acceptable.
53. departure (noun) – deviation, divergence, shift/change.
54. normative (adjective) – relating to a standard/norm, particularly of behaviour.
55. in any case (phrase) – whatever happens, moreover.
56. असहमत--unconvinced
57. empower (verb) – authorize, entitle, permit, allow.सशक्त
58. public interest (noun) – the public good; the advantage/benefit of the community in general.
59. off the air (phrase) – not broadcasting.
60. egregious (adjective) – shocking, horrible/terrible, very bad.ज़बरदस्त
61. norm (noun) – standard, convention, regulation.
62. at large (phrase) – as a whole, generally, extensively.
63. scope (noun) – the opportunity (to deal with something).
64. penal (adjective) – disciplinary, punitive, corrective.
65. class (noun) – category, group.
66. stand apart (phrasal verb) – not become involved with someone or something.
67. propagate (verb) – spread, disseminate, communicate, broadcast.
68. flagrant (adjective) – obvious, blatant, evident, glaring.खुला, ज्वलंत
69. merely (adverb) – only, simply, just.
70. विशिष्ट, प्रसिद्ध, मशहूर--distinguished 
71. administer (verb) – deliver, issue, give; handle, direct.
72. moderate (verb) – control, regulate, restrict, keep in check.
73. breach (verb) – break, violate.
74. at all (phrase) – in any way, by any means.
75. excesses (noun) – uncontrolled behaviour; unrestricted conduct; extreme, violent actions which are unacceptable.ज्यादतियों

Ed-2

Another bailout: On Lakshmi Vilas Bank

Overall banking sector health is a concern despite the RBI’s pre-emptive rescue efforts

The RBI’s decision to recommend the imposition of a one-month moratorium on Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) and almost simultaneously announce a draft scheme of amalgamation that entails the Indian unit of the Singapore government-controlled DBS Bank taking over the capital-starved private lender marks a welcome intervention by the banking regulator. The well-choreographed move will protect the interests of depositors and employees, while shareholders will see the value of their holdings written off once the merger is operationalised. Coming just about eight months after another flailing private lender, Yes Bank, was rescued by an RBI-orchestrated capital infusion, the Karur-based bank’s proposed bailout signals that the regulator is keen to proactively step in to ward off risks to wider financial sector stability. That the LVB had become a candidate for regulatory intervention was evident after its continuous losses, steady erosion of its net worth and inability to raise fresh capital to bolster its balance sheet. Despite being placed under the RBI’s Prompt Corrective Action framework in September 2019, the lender’s finances deteriorated to the point where its gross ratio of non-performing assets to advances shot up to 25.4% in March 2020 and the Tier 1 Capital ratio turned a negative 0.88% at the end of that quarter. The capital ratio subsequently worsened to -4.85% by the end of September, tipping the central bank’s hand.

Overall banking sector health, however, remains a significant concern notwithstanding this latest rescue effort. On Wednesday, Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s chief economist, flagged the wide-ranging damage the COVID-19 pandemic had inflicted on the global economy and warned of deeper legacy scars — more stress on corporate balance sheets and governments burdened with large debt. For all its liquidity bolstering measures since March, the RBI now faces the prospect of having to maintain a heightened vigil over scheduled commercial banks, as well as non-banking financial companies and mortgage lenders, given the threat of contagion from a failure here. The RBI had in its Financial Stability Report in July pointed out that its stress tests indicated that the gross NPA ratio of commercial banks could worsen to 14.7% by March 2021, from 8.5% a year earlier, if the pandemic’s adverse economic impact caused the GDP to contract by 8.9% in the current fiscal. In October, the bank forecast India’s GDP would shrink by 9.5% and earlier this month cautioned that “lurking around the corner” was the major risk of stress intensifying among households and firms that could spill over into the financial sector. The RBI has its task cut out in ensuring it keeps the crucial engine of credit ticking over as the economy strives to revive.

bailout--खैरात
simultaneously--एक साथ
Grievance--शिकायत
Overall---कुल, समस्त,संपूर्ण
emptive--रिक्तिपूर्व
rescue-बचाव
amalgamation--एकीकरण, संयोजन
entails--जरूरत पर जोर देता
starved--भूखे
operationalised-संचालित
flailing---घिसटते हुए
ward --संरक्षण
raise--बढ़ाने
Corrective--सुधारात्मक
deteriorated--बिगड़ी
subsequently--बाद में
worsened--खराब हो गई
notwithstanding--के होते हुए भी
flagged--सूचित करना--
inflicted--थोपना
scars--निशान
prospect--संभावना
heightened--बढ़ाके दिखाना
vigil--जागरण, रतजगा, रात की प्रार्थना
mortgage--बंधक, गिरवी, रेहन
contagion--छूत, रोग-संचार
gross--सकल, कुल
adverse--प्रतिकूल, विपरीत, विरुद्ध
lurking --लुका हुआ,छिपा
intensifying--तेज
ticking--बजाते
strives--प्रयास