| NEW
DELHI: The Press Council of India is expected to receive by the end of this month
a report from its Sub-Committee proving the malaise of paid news, Information
and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said today. Following
a drive launched by the Editors Guild of India against paid news in December 2009,
the Press Council had constituted the Sub-Committee which visited Hyderabad and
Mumbai to collect evidence from stakeholders, and sought information from the
Election Commission of India. Giving
this information in Parliament, Soni said representatives of the Election Commission
asked the Council to define what constituted “paid news” so that expenditure
incurred by the political parties and the candidates can be made accountable. The
Sub-Committee also met representatives of Indian Newspapers Society (INS) and
Indian Language Newspapers Association (ILNA). The Committee held its meeting
at Mumbai on 27 and 28 January to interact with stakeholders and visited Hyderabad
on 9 and 10 February. The representatives of the Andhra Pradesh Union of Working
Journalists named six newspapers, carrying numerous paid news stories.
In a statement
following a calling attention notice in the Rajya Sabha by Marxist member Sitaram
Yechury, Soni said the Government was committed "to ensuring the right to
the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution" and
therefore had given the task of "preserving the freedom of press and maintaining
and improving the standard of newspapers in India and to inculcate the principles
of self regulation among the press to the autonomous Council."
She said it
was "very commendable" that this issue of “paid news” has
been vigorously raised by some sections of the media themselves. The Editors Guild
of India has in its press note on this issue dated 23 December 2009 called upon
all editors of the country to desist from publishing any form of advertisements
which masquerade as news. They went on to say that it is imperative that news
organisations clearly distinguish between news and advertisements with full and
proper disclosure norms, so that no reader and viewer is tricked by any subterfuge
of advertisements published and broadcast in the same format, language and style
of news. She
added that the Indian Women’s Press Corps, a body of working women journalists
from print, TV and online media, was also highlighting this issue in a seminar
being held in a few days to help build an opinion against this malpractice. The
APUWJ conducted a detailed sample survey to highlight the manner in which newspapers
had published “paid news” items. A number of senior journalists have
formally complained about the phenomenon of “paid news” to the Press
Council of India and the Election Commission of India. The
PCI has developed the Norms of Journalistic Conduct that cover the principles
and ethics regarding journalism. PCI has laid down guidelines on reporting of
specific issues of public and national importance. In 1996, it drew up a set of
guidelines that are particularly applicable to financial journalism. PCI has also
issued guidelines on reporting of elections. In
recent months, however, there have been a number of media reports that sections
of the electronic and print media have received monetary considerations for publishing
or broadcasting in favour of particular individuals or organisations or corporate
entities. This is essentially “advertisement” disguised as “news”.
This has been commonly referred to as the “paid news syndrome”. While
this is not a new phenomenon, it has attracted greater public attention of late
and is being widely discussed and debated across the country. Soni
added that it had been reported that the owners of some media organisations have
financial relationships, including share-holdings, with advertisers.
Further, cases
have been reported wherein identical articles with photographs and headlines have
appeared in competing publications carrying bylines of different authors or sometimes
even without bylines, around the same time. On the same page of specific newspapers,
articles have been printed during elections, projecting rival candidates, both
as winning candidates! While it is widely agreed that it is not easy to find proof
for such malpractices, there exists strong circumstantial evidence.
She said the
phenomenon of “paid news” was a serious matter as it influences the
functioning of a free press. "The media acts as a repository of public trust
for conveying correct and true information to the people. However, when paid information
is presented as news content, it could mislead the public and thereby hamper their
judgment to form a correct opinion. Thus, there is no denying the fact that there
is an urgent need to protect public’s right to correct and unbiased information."
She said it
was important that all sections of society should introspect on this issue as
it has wide ranging implications for the country’s democratic structure. | 
