CNN has invested nearly one million dollars to step up security and safety training for news personnel stationed in different parts of the globe.
Responding to queries sent by indiantelevision.com, CNN International senior VP Ian Macintosh who is responsible for spearheading the integration of CNN‘s journalistic activities on all platforms in the Asia Pacific said that incidents such as the kidnap and murder of Daniel Pearl, have made it imperative for organisations like CNN to increase the training and awareness of their newsgathering staff. " In light of this, we recently made it mandatory for all CNN staff members, and our regular freelancers, to undergo hostile environment training," he adds.

While maintaining that CNN has long provided hostile environment training and other security measures for its correspondents, the training has been stepped up with the world becoming an increasingly dangerous place for journalists on assignment. "In the US, CNN has led the charge with dozens of our staff signing up for this safety training. In Europe and Asia, too, a large number of our newsgathering staff have undertaken the training," he says.

With each course lasting a week, and a bill of around $4000 to fully train and equip each staffer, CNN is currently investing close about $1 million. "So far, seventy CNN correspondents, producers and field crews in Asia alone, including our New Delhi bureau team, have completed the course," says Macintosh. This comprehensive safety training programme will enable CNN newsgathering teams deployed in war zones and other hostile or hazardous locations to be more aware of, and prepared for, the environments and circumstances in which they are working. The programme seeks to minimise risks as much as possible by providing staff with the knowledge and awareness needed for the situations they may encounter while on assignment, says Macintosh.

Requirement of new norms and standards for the cable industry and viewers was the main topic in a discussion on `The Cable Industry and the Viewers: Setting New Norms and Standards‘ held in New Delhi on 30 April.

Organised by the Center for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), the meet aimed to highlight issues currently faced by cable TV viewers in India. Topics ranged from arbitrary increase and inconsistency in cable rates, dissatisfaction with the quality of transmission and the lack of transparency on the part of cable operators in providing information on matters related to cable operations.

I&B joint secretary Rakesh Mohan was present at the discussion where the cable industry was represented by Rakesh Dutta, Vikki Choudhary, Major Kohli, Roop Sharma and Anil Malhotra from INcable.

Mohan said the government had chosen an opportune moment to intervene, as an addressable system like CAS as it would provide levels playing field for the broadcasters, cable operators and viewers. He said the government would not inhibit the advancement of technological options like CAS as it has to take care of broadcasters, cable operators as well as viewers. He added that the subscriber would be kept informed in a transparent manner of the subscription rates for each individual "pay" channel.