URMI Consortium

Editorial Guidelines for Live News Broadcasting

—

by

shreebhattji
in

Effective Date: 24 May 2026
Organization: URMIC
Platform Type: Live News Streaming / OTT / Digital News Publisher

1. Purpose

These Editorial Guidelines establish standards for news gathering, production, publishing, streaming, moderation, correction, and public accountability for all live news and digital content distributed through the platform.

The objective is to ensure:

  • Accuracy and fairness
  • Responsible journalism
  • Compliance with Indian laws and regulations
  • Protection of public interest
  • Prevention of misinformation and harmful content
  • Editorial independence

These guidelines apply to:

  • Live news broadcasts
  • Recorded programs
  • Breaking news alerts
  • Social media content
  • User-generated content
  • Anchors, reporters, editors, moderators, contributors, and technical teams

2. Applicable Laws and Regulatory Framework

The platform shall operate in accordance with:

  • Information Technology Act, 2000
  • Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
  • Applicable directions issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB)
  • Indian Penal Code / Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions
  • Copyright Act, 1957
  • Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act and Programme Code principles
  • Contempt of Courts Act
  • Laws relating to defamation, privacy, child protection, and national security

Reference:

3. Core Editorial Principles

3.1 Accuracy

  • All reasonable efforts shall be made to verify facts before publication or broadcast.
  • Anonymous or unverified claims shall not be presented as established facts.
  • Headlines must accurately reflect the underlying content.
  • Breaking news shall be labeled appropriately until independently verified.

3.2 Fairness and Balance

  • Relevant viewpoints should be represented wherever practical.
  • Individuals or organizations facing allegations should be given a reasonable opportunity to respond.
  • Coverage shall avoid deliberate distortion or selective omission of material facts.

3.3 Independence

  • Editorial decisions shall remain independent from advertisers, sponsors, political entities, or financial interests.
  • Paid promotions or sponsored content must be clearly disclosed.

3.4 Public Interest

Content decisions should prioritize:

  • Public safety
  • Democratic values
  • Civic awareness
  • Transparency
  • Prevention of panic or communal disharmony

4. Prohibited Content

The platform shall not knowingly publish or stream content that:

  • Violates Indian law
  • Promotes terrorism or extremist activities
  • Incites violence, riots, or communal hatred
  • Contains explicit sexual content prohibited under law
  • Endangers national security
  • Promotes child exploitation
  • Spreads knowingly false misinformation
  • Violates court orders or reporting restrictions
  • Encourages self-harm or illegal activities

5. Coverage of Sensitive Events

5.1 Communal and Religious Matters

  • Reporting shall avoid inflammatory language.
  • Religious identities shall only be disclosed where editorially relevant and legally permissible.
  • Rumors and unverified social media claims shall not be amplified.

5.2 Crime Reporting

  • Accused persons shall not be declared guilty before judicial determination.
  • Identities of minors and sexual assault victims shall be protected in accordance with law.
  • Graphic visuals should be minimized and warnings displayed where necessary.

5.3 Suicide and Self-Harm

  • Reporting shall avoid sensationalism or detailed methods.
  • Helpline and support information may be displayed where appropriate.

5.4 Elections

  • Election-related reporting shall comply with Election Commission guidelines and silence periods.
  • Exit polls and political advertisements shall follow applicable regulations.

6. Live Broadcast Standards

6.1 Delay and Moderation

The platform may implement:

  • Broadcast delay mechanisms
  • Content moderation systems
  • Emergency interruption controls
  • Human editorial supervision during high-risk live coverage

6.2 User-Generated Live Content

User submissions may be:

  • Moderated before publication
  • Removed if unlawful or harmful
  • Reported to authorities where legally required

The platform reserves the right to suspend or terminate contributors violating these guidelines.

7. Artificial Intelligence and Synthetic Media

  • AI-generated or synthetically altered content should be labeled where materially relevant.
  • Deepfakes or manipulated media intended to mislead are prohibited.
  • Automated systems must remain subject to human editorial oversight.

8. Corrections and Retractions

  • Significant factual errors should be corrected promptly.
  • Corrections should be clear and proportionate to the original publication.
  • Deliberately misleading content may be removed or retracted.

9. Privacy and Dignity

The platform shall seek to balance public interest with privacy rights.

The platform should avoid:

  • Publishing personal data without lawful basis
  • Harassment or intimidation
  • Intrusive reporting during grief or trauma
  • Disclosure of sensitive information without necessity

10. Intellectual Property

  • Copyrighted material shall only be used with authorization, license, statutory exception, or lawful permission.
  • Third-party footage, music, graphics, and images must be properly attributed where required.

11. Advertisements and Sponsored Content

  • Advertisements must comply with Indian laws and advertising standards.
  • Sponsored or branded content must be clearly identifiable.
  • Editorial content shall not be disguised advertising.

12. Grievance Redressal

Users may report concerns regarding:

  • Illegal content
  • Defamation
  • Copyright infringement
  • Privacy violations
  • Editorial inaccuracies
  • Harmful or misleading content

Grievance Contact

Complaints shall be reviewed within a reasonable period in accordance with applicable law.

13. Content Removal and Compliance

The platform may:

  • Restrict access to content
  • Remove unlawful material
  • Cooperate with lawful government and judicial orders
  • Preserve records where legally required

14. Limitation of Liability

  • Live broadcasts may contain rapidly developing information that changes over time.
  • The platform does not guarantee completeness, accuracy, or uninterrupted availability of all content.
  • Opinions expressed by guests, users, or contributors are their own unless officially stated otherwise.
  • The platform shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from reliance on published content, except where liability cannot be excluded under applicable law.

15. Editorial Review and Updates

These Editorial Guidelines may be updated periodically to reflect:

  • Legal developments
  • Regulatory requirements
  • Industry standards
  • Platform operational changes

Continued use of the platform constitutes acceptance of updated guidelines.

16. Contact Information

Publisher / Organization:
URMIC

Grievance and Compliance Portal:
https://redressal.urmic.org/