करनाल में पत्रकारिता पर वर्कशाप संपन्न

Paid news: The new evil in media
‘Paid News’ issue is gaining momentum. Press council of India, Editors Guild of India and political parties cutting across partylines are advocating for some mechanism to check this menace.
CJ: Pawan Kumar Bansal

Tue, Mar 16, 2010 15:03:14 IST
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The “Paid News” issue is finally gaining momentum. The Press Council of India, the Editors Guild of India and political parties cutting across party lines are advocating for some mechanism to check this menace.

Government is contemplating on giving more powers to Press Council and there is a demand for making amendments in the Representation of the People Act to include paid news within the ambit of electoral malpractices.

Paid news is a blot on the beautiful face or our democracy. The founding fathers of the constitution might not have even imagined that freedom of press will be misused by the owners of newspapers for filling their coffers. In fact, this is a real tribute to eminent journalist late Prabash Joshi who has launched an aggressive campaign against this evil. His soul must be feeling some solace in heaven that the issue raised by him is becoming a national issue.

Joshi was deeply perturbed over coverage of the last Lok Sabha polls in the electronic and print media. After the polls, while releasing this writer’s book in Hindi ‘Khoji Patrakarita Kyon aur Kaise’ at Rohtak, he asked the audience not to take the election coverage on the electronic and print media at face value, because the larger part has been bought by the concerned
parties.

Describing the newspapers as the weapon of the people and not of owners, Joshi has asked the readers to fight for saving this weapon which is called the fourth pillar of democracy. While urging the election commission to identify such advertisements which found space in the form of news, he told that he, along with some editors, will urge the Press Council of India to withdraw registration of such newspapers which gave space to surrogate news. He demanded that such papers be given licences of printing industry.

Joshi, along with eminent journalists Kuldeep Nayyar, B.G.Vergeese and Harish Khare, has taken up the issue with the Press Council .Till his untimely death; he continued his tirade against this evil. His opponents even raised questions over his commitment to journalism, but he did not relent. BJP leaders Lalji Tandon and Sushma Swaraj and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, all have been victims of this evil while Maharshtra chief minister Ashok Chavan is a beneficiary. Recently Sushma Sawraj has come out with shocking revelations that she was offered Rs. 1 crore package by a newspaper for getting favourable reports during the Lok Sabha election.

Lalji Tandon has disclosed that a U.P. based newspaper, which has taken several benefits from their government has asked money for getting coverage. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in the last assembly polls before he came to power, was perturbed over the coverage of the rally of other political parties.

When he complained to the editor and owner of the paper, he was told that it was all advertisement meaning thereby that advertisement was published under the cover of news. The news described the poorly attended rally as a huge gathering. Hooda was further shocked to hear the reply of the editor, on being asked if they can publish their advertisement stating that this newspaper publishes lies. The editor cut a sorry figure.

I will like to share an interesting incident regarding the coverage of Sirsa Lok Sabha seat in Haryana from where All India youth congress Chief Ashok Tanwar was contesting on a congress ticket. One particular Hindi newspaper was publishing news only in favour of a particular
candidate.

When a complaint was made regarding this during a press conference in which local reporter of the said newspaper was also present he was told that they have been directed by their editor and owner to send news only favouring this particular candidate.
The shocked politician told the reporter that they had also bought a package from their paper.

He told him that they have been assured that the news matter in form of a CD given by us will be printed without any change. The poor reporter of that paper politely requested the politician to ensure that they get latest instructions from their editor. The poor reporter was right, as otherwise the cost of that space will be charged from him treating his news as advertisement.

Replying to the debate on the issue in Rajya Sabha, where speaker after speaker including Arun Jaitely has expressed serious concern over the paid news issue, Information and Broadcasting minister Ambika Soni has told that the centre was actively considering a proposal to give more teeth to the Press Council to tackle the menace.

The Council should be given adequate powers and representation of people act should be amended for making provisions for including paid news payment in election expenses of the candidate. It is important that the newspaper readers should come out to fight against this practice as little is expected from the political parties who are part of this game.