National Press Day has been celebrated under the auspices of the Press Council of India on the 16th of November every year since 1995 when it was decided to celebrate it on the day when the Press Council was enacted by the Parliament. It may be mentioned here that the first Press Commission was constituted on 23rd September 1952 to study the state of affairs of the Press under the Chairmanship of Justice G S Rajyadhyaksha. Many eminent persons from different streams were its members. It was set up to secure freedom of speech and expression, to curb yellow journalism, sensationalism, malicious attacks on public men, indecency and vulgarity, bias in the presentation of news and lack of responsibility in comment, to inquire about the control, management and ownership, the financial structure as well as other important aspects of the newspaper industry in the country.
It submitted its report on 14th July 1954. It made two very important recommendations; one was the enactment of the Working Journalist Act and the other was for the statutory Press Council of India. The Working Journalist Act was enacted in 1955 within a few months of the submission of the Press Commission’s report but the Press Council of India came into existence on 16th November 1966. In those days only the Print medium was in existence. In the name of electronic medium, the government controlled Akashvani was there but that had nothing to do either with the Working Journalist Act or with the Press Council of India. There was no freedom for Akahvani, it had and even now it has to work as per the policies framed by the government
To cut a long story short in this year’s celebration of National Press Day, the Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar was the guest of honour, who exhorted the Press Council by saying that it was not ‘the time to show teeth but a time to bite against those spreading the fake and false news. And the bite must be strong because those who are serving with high ethical standards must be encouraged only by those not doing so being visited with exemplary consequences.’
Dhankhar also said that it was the moral duty of the media to tell the truth, nothing but the truth. He cited a recent incident about a newspaper in Telangana publishing that the V-P’s Twitter handle carries a fake photograph of a parliamentary committee. He also cited another incident from the past, when as Governor of West Bengal, he suffered when a senior journalist alleged, he was summoning the Chief Minister of West Bengal to Raj Bhavan every day.
What is, however, very surprising is that Dhankhar is asking the Press Council not to show its teeth but to bite strongly. It appears that he is blissfully ignorant about the fact that the Press Council of India is a toothless tiger. It has no teeth at all. It can only put moral pressure on the newspapers by either, warning, reprimanding or censuring the erring newspapers or journalists. It has no powers beyond that. It may be stated here that yours truly was also a member of the Press Council for two consecutive terms i.e., for six years. He and his organisation Indian Federation of Working Journalist (IFWJ) has been demanding a complete overhauling of the Press Council of India.
The first thing that needs to be done is that the Press Council should be converted into the Media Council by the Parliament of Bharat by bringing all genres of media that are Print, Electronic, Web, Digital and social media into its ambit. Then it would be in a position to take note of the errors of all types of media. The second most important thing is that it should have enough powers to take stringent action against the erring defaulters otherwise nobody will care even two hoots for its directions/ orders/ suggestions.
The other thing that should be done is to have eminent journalists, trade unionists, literature and law apart from Members of Parliament and other social activists of honesty and credibility in the Press Council. But at present there is hardly any important journalist, who is a member of the Press Council.
The biggest crisis that the country is facing today is that of the credibility of media and this can be restored only when the Media Council possesses some powers. It should not only have the teeth to show but strong enough to bite the errants. Today the biggest problem comes from social media, which often indulges in deep fakery with the help of new technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The crisis of credibility is more because, social media, operates without any gatekeepers. The expression ‘fake news’ has never been heard so loudly before as it is these days and social media is the main sinner.
Press Council is toothless, how can it bite without strong teeth?
feel free to email us [email protected]
-
Transgenders’ Are ‘Third Gender’ And Have The Right To Live With Dignity
Parmanand Pandey, , Miscellaneous, 0
By Parmanand Pandey Advocate Transgenders or Hijras or Eunuchs have generally been discriminated ridiculed, humiliated and insulted and jeered...
-
Government Schemes in Villages must be Monitored to Stem the Corruption
Parmanand Pandey, , Miscellaneous, 0
The disease of corruption has become chronic and has taken such deep roots as to cause nausea. It was...
-
Irrelevant controversy about the Degree of Prime Minister
Parmanand Pandey, , Miscellaneous, 0
Is it not amazing that a Chief Minister has got himself embroiled in the controversy over the educational qualifications...
-
‘Justice for the judge’: a Book That Defends Well
Parmanand Pandey, , Miscellaneous, 0
Book Review by Parmanand Pandey Very few judges in India have written their autobiographies...
-
New Farm Acts: Better Late than Never
Parmanand Pandey, , Miscellaneous, 0
Politics in the name of farmers is a flourishing and beneficial trade for the politicians and dalals. Otherwise, there...
-
Sai Baba: A Fraud or God
Parmanand Pandey, , Miscellaneous, 0
Parmanand Pandey God-man Stya Sai Baba has passed away in the morning of 24th April. He was a divine...
-
Only Artificial Intelligence (AI) can Transform Tottering Judicial System
Parmanand Pandey, , Miscellaneous, 4
Recently, a TV journalist asked former CJI Ranjan Gogoi why did he not go to court when a lady...
-
India has Set an Example in Handling with Natural Calamity
Parmanand Pandey, , Miscellaneous, 0
When the lockdown was declared for the first time in March 2020, some biased journalists were in the front...
Categories
Recent Posts
- The conduct of Kejriwal and AAP Leaders is Repulsive and Lowest of the Low
- Comical Behaviour of Arvind Kejriwal
- Karpoori Thakur Fired with Casteism than Idealism. His Personal Honesty was Above the Board
- One Nation, One Election will save the Money of the Exchequer
- A book on spiritualism worthy to be chewed and digested
Recent Comments
- נערות ליווי on Arun Shouri’s Latest Tome is Worthless Through and Through
- Jeromeuters on Padma Vibhushan to late Radhey Shyam Khemka: A Well-Deserved Tribute to a Saintly Editor
- Robertweple2145 on Digitalisation of Currency will Revolutionise the Money Circulation
- Victornem45678 on Live-Streaming is the Best Substitute To Open Court Hearing
- Isacwaync on Kudos to ‘Voice of Lucknow’ and its Editor for Protecting the jobs and Salaries of Journalists
Archives
- April 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- October 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- May 2016
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- July 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- July 2012
- June 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- September 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- June 2010
- March 2010
- January 2010
- October 2009
- September 2009
- July 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- December 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008