I&B ministry's guidelines against fake news: Editors Guild of India condemns ministry's decision, acknowledges PMO's intervention

The Editors Guild of India on Tuesday, in a statement, strongly condemned the arbitrary manner contemplated by Information and Broadcast Ministry to penalise any journalist or media organisation publishing fake news,  ANI  said.

The Editors’ Guild also acknowledged the intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office to withdraw the I&B Ministry’s notification but remained disturbed that faith continues to be reposed on the Press Council of India to deliver justice on such issues.“By notifying that the I & B Ministry will initiate such proceedings, the government was arrogating for itself the role of policing the media. It would have opened the door for frivolous complaints to harass journalists and organisations to fall in line,” it added.

On Tuesday, Union minister Smriti Irani said that the Centre is willing to engage with journalists’ bodies or organisations to fight the “menace” of fake news a day after the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry issued guidelines against it.

Irani took to Twitter on Tuesday to address debates that kicked up after the guidelines were released. “PIB accreditation guidelines asking Press Council of India (PCI) and News Broadcasters’ Association (NBA) to define and act against ‘fake news’ have generated debate,” she said.

The ministry norms had also said any complaint of instances of fake news would be referred to the PCI, if it pertains to print media, and to the News Broadcasters Association (NBA), if it relates to the electronic media, for determination of the news item being fake or not within 15 days.

Once the complaint is registered for determination of fake news, the accreditation of the journalist, whoever “created and/or propagated” the fake news, will be suspended till the determination regarding the fake news is made, the ministry had said.

“The recent reconstitution of the Press Council of India has been done in a manner that gives rise to doubts over the independence of the institution and its ability to play neutral umpire. The Guild’s nominees to the PCI were disallowed on technical grounds,” the statement said. Also, the recent reconstitution of the Central Press Accreditation Committee has raised questions over the non-transparent processes being followed by the ministry as the Guild’s application was ignored, it said.

The Guild said that ‘fake news’ is a process that cannot be left to governments to initiate action when, on many occasions, the governments and the parties in power—both at the Centre and in the states—are charged with propagating fake news themselves. “Moreover, news organisations are not the only source of generation of fake news with the country awash with digital platforms of all hues and opinions that operate without constraints and have the potential to cause far more damage,” it said.

The Guild said it has always stood for observing the highest journalistic standards and was willing to work with the central and state governments and media bodies to define what can be constituted as ‘fake news’ and take action against those found guilty of propagating such news without compromising on the independence and freedom of the media.

Later, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Tuesday directed that the statement  regarding the fake news  be withdrawn and said the matter should only be addressed in Press Council of India.

Senior  Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said  on Tuesday that the Centre’s withdrawal of a press release on ‘fake news’ within 24 hours of issuing it was a victory for democracy and the media. Through the press release on fake news, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had attempted to bring restrictions on the media’s autonomy, he alleged.

With inputs from PTI.