Arnab Goswami new Chief of News Broadcasters Federation

The News Broadcasters Federation has elected journalist Arnab Goswami as the president of its governing board here.

The members unanimously elected Goswami, who is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Republic TV, as the president of the governing board.They members met on Saturday to finalise modalities of a self-regulatory organisation – News Broadcasters Federation Authority – to self-regulate content, a statement said. “The biggest ever congregation of regional news broadcasters represents their combined interests and perspectives on matters related to the news broadcasting industry,” it added.

The broadcaster’s body comprises of 78 news channels in 14 languages from 25 states.

Goswami said he was grateful for the trust and confidence shown by the largest-ever group of broadcasters in India. “NBF is a game changer and its incredible how so many channel owners and top executives have come together so quickly to make NBF happen,” he added. “For far too long a clutch of Delhi-based channels have falsely claimed to represent Indian broadcasting. NBF will change that, for good.”

The NBF president will lead a group to form the self-regulatory body – News Broadcasters Federation Authority, said the federation. “It will create new standards for news broadcasting and address any violation through a committee of editors from within the federation,” the statement said.

The News Broadcasters Federation was formed in July this year with 50 news channels. The members met Minister of Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar before the board meeting and presented their first set of memorandum. The minister urged NBF and its members to form a strong self-regulatory mechanism, while also recognising the importance of regional news channels.

The self-regulation mechanism of the body will be led by a chairperson, four eminent personalities and four editors.