Justice C.K. Prasad, Hon’ble Chairman, Press Council of India, NEW DELHI
Respected Chairman,
Sub: PCI’s advisory to media on publishing foreign content
The Indian Journalists Union (IJU) is of the opinion that the advisory issued by the PCI, holding Reporter, Publisher and Editor responsible will prevent any newspaper from publishing foreign agency news and syndicate news.
The newspapers have to depend on international news agencies for foreign news coverage and no newspaper can appoint that many correspondents abroad. There is already a practice in the media to cover foreign news and there is a system to check its authenticity.
So the new media advisory issued by PCI could affect the freedom of the press. Already media organizations and persons expressed their apprehensions about the advisory.
The advisory said that “The Press Council of India has considered references received from various quarters by the Government about the responsibility of Indian Newspapers in publishing foreign content.”
As in the past, every Government and Party in power wanted to gag the press and this Government communication is also on a similar line.
PCI is a watchdog for print media but it has the responsibility to protect the freedom of press at any cost. In view of this the IJU would appeal to the PCI to reconsider the advisory as it could be an infringement on the freedom of press.
The IJU always wanted PCI, constituted in 1966 as an autonomous, statutory, quasi-judicial body, to work as a watchdog for newspapers and news agencies in the country, with power to censure outlets for violations, to be given more powers to regulate the print media and to protect its freedom.
We had demanded the creation of a Media Commission to monitor the digital, online and social media, on the lines of the PCI.
Hope you will reconsider the advisory issued on publication of foreign news by Indian newspapers.
Thanking you,
BR Prajapati, President & G. Prabhakaran, Secretary General, IJU, New Delhi