Page 31 - July 2015 Issue
P. 31
Media through its various agencies helps to agitate and voice against any intrusion into the rights of the women.
In the modern age crimes against women have also became very rampant, media was an active tool in voic-
ing against such acts and bringing such illegal acts to the eyes of the concerned authorities and thus keeping
the issue as a hot spot which requires urgent attention. Media also acts as an effective tool in educating people
against the commission of such atrocious acts against the women community and thus preserving their purity
and sacredness. Media also through various debates and discussions help the legislators in identifying new areas
for legislating laws for the protection of women.
Negative effects of media on the rights of women
Media has both positive as well as negative effects on the rights of women. Media has been a cause for the
increase in infringement of the right to privacy of a woman. Media through obscene publication and visual
presentations have demeaned the dignity of women in the modern society. Modern ilms tend to glorify violence
and as a result infuse such ideas in the minds of the youth. Media has played a signiicant role in the promotion
and circulation of pornographic materials which in turn will result in traficking of women, lesh trade etc. Me-
dia is a corner stone in shaping the lives of the new generation, as majority of the modern generation are glued
to them. Media through ilms and publications tend to drastically revolutionize the minds of the people without
their knowledge and awareness. Hence there has to be a strict check and control on the contents that are aired
and published through the media. It was this concept which paved
the way for the development of media laws.
Media laws and its Evolution in India
In India the Press is free but subject to certain reasonable restrictions imposed by the Constitution of India,
1950, as amended (“Constitution”). Before the impact of globalization was felt, the mass media was wholly
controlled by the government, which let the media project only what the government wanted the public to see
and in a way in which it wanted the public to see it. However, with the onset of globalization and
privatization, the situation has undergone a humongous change.
Before the invention of communication satellites, communication was mainly in the form of national media,
both public and private, in India and abroad. Then came the ‘transnational media’ with the progress of commu-
nication technologies like Satellite delivery and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), the outcome: local
TV, global ilms and global information systems.
In such an era of media upsurge, it becomes an absolute necessity to impose certain legal checks and bounds
on transmission and communication. In the due course of this article, we would discuss the various aspects of
media and the relevant legal checks and bounds governing them.
Historical Perspective of Mass Media Laws
Mass Media laws in India have a long history and are deeply rooted in the country’s colonial experience under
British rule. The earliest regulatory measures can be traced back to 1799 when Lord Wellesley promulgated the
Press Regulations, which had the effect of imposing pre-censorship on an infant newspaper publishing industry.
The onset of 1835 saw the promulgation of the Press Act, which undid most of, the repressive
features of earlier legislations on the subject.
Thereafter on 18th June 1857, the government passed the .Gagging Act., which among various other things,
introduced compulsory licensing for the owning or running of printing presses; empowered the government to
prohibit the publication or circulation of any newspaper, book or other printed materialand banned the
31
In the modern age crimes against women have also became very rampant, media was an active tool in voic-
ing against such acts and bringing such illegal acts to the eyes of the concerned authorities and thus keeping
the issue as a hot spot which requires urgent attention. Media also acts as an effective tool in educating people
against the commission of such atrocious acts against the women community and thus preserving their purity
and sacredness. Media also through various debates and discussions help the legislators in identifying new areas
for legislating laws for the protection of women.
Negative effects of media on the rights of women
Media has both positive as well as negative effects on the rights of women. Media has been a cause for the
increase in infringement of the right to privacy of a woman. Media through obscene publication and visual
presentations have demeaned the dignity of women in the modern society. Modern ilms tend to glorify violence
and as a result infuse such ideas in the minds of the youth. Media has played a signiicant role in the promotion
and circulation of pornographic materials which in turn will result in traficking of women, lesh trade etc. Me-
dia is a corner stone in shaping the lives of the new generation, as majority of the modern generation are glued
to them. Media through ilms and publications tend to drastically revolutionize the minds of the people without
their knowledge and awareness. Hence there has to be a strict check and control on the contents that are aired
and published through the media. It was this concept which paved
the way for the development of media laws.
Media laws and its Evolution in India
In India the Press is free but subject to certain reasonable restrictions imposed by the Constitution of India,
1950, as amended (“Constitution”). Before the impact of globalization was felt, the mass media was wholly
controlled by the government, which let the media project only what the government wanted the public to see
and in a way in which it wanted the public to see it. However, with the onset of globalization and
privatization, the situation has undergone a humongous change.
Before the invention of communication satellites, communication was mainly in the form of national media,
both public and private, in India and abroad. Then came the ‘transnational media’ with the progress of commu-
nication technologies like Satellite delivery and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), the outcome: local
TV, global ilms and global information systems.
In such an era of media upsurge, it becomes an absolute necessity to impose certain legal checks and bounds
on transmission and communication. In the due course of this article, we would discuss the various aspects of
media and the relevant legal checks and bounds governing them.
Historical Perspective of Mass Media Laws
Mass Media laws in India have a long history and are deeply rooted in the country’s colonial experience under
British rule. The earliest regulatory measures can be traced back to 1799 when Lord Wellesley promulgated the
Press Regulations, which had the effect of imposing pre-censorship on an infant newspaper publishing industry.
The onset of 1835 saw the promulgation of the Press Act, which undid most of, the repressive
features of earlier legislations on the subject.
Thereafter on 18th June 1857, the government passed the .Gagging Act., which among various other things,
introduced compulsory licensing for the owning or running of printing presses; empowered the government to
prohibit the publication or circulation of any newspaper, book or other printed materialand banned the
31
