New Delhi: Three days after Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi cancelled a controversial order that said journalists found guilty of creating “fake news” would lose their government accreditation, Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry on Friday set up a 10-member committee to recommend policy formation to regulate online media.
The committee includes secretaries of Ministries of Home, and Information Technology, Departments of Legal Affairs, and Industrial Policy and Promotion.
It also has a representatives from Press Council of India, News Broadcasters Association and Indian Broadcasters Federation.
According to an order issued by I&B Ministry, the terms of the reference (ToR) of the committee included delineation of the sphere of online information dissemination which needed to be brought under regulation, on the lines applicable to the print and electronic media.
“The committee will recommend appropriate policy formulation for online media/news portals and online content platforms, including digital broadcasting, that encompasses entertainment, infotainment and news and media aggregators. It will do so keeping in mind the existing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms, programmes and advertising code for TV channels and norms circulated by the representative bodies of media organisations,” the order said.
According to I&B Minister Smriti Irani, the content on private television channels was regulated by Programme and Advertisement Codes, while PCI had norms to regulate the print media, but there were no norms to regulate online news portals.
“Therefore, it has been decided to constitute a committee to frame and suggest a regulatory framework for online media/news portals including digital broadcasting and entertainment/infotainment sites and news/media aggregators,” Irani told media.
She said a line of ethics and code of conduct had to be put in place to ensure that customers do not get affected by vested views in news.
“That is something the ministry is considering in terms of putting it in those words that now reflect on broadcasting and advertorials, having a similar line on ethics or code of conduct in a free society that is incumbent upon the agencies to abide to,” Irani said.
She stated that the recent consolidation of three media units under Bureau of Outreach Communication was the need of the hour.
On Tuesday, PM Modi had directed that the press release on ‘fake news’ issued by I&B Ministry be immediately withdrawn. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the question of checking fake news should be left to media watchdog Press Council of India.
“The fake news problem will only be dealt with by the Press Council of India (PCI),” Modi had said.
A day before, the ministry had said the accreditation of a journalist could be cancelled if the scribe is found generating or propagating fake news.
