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Indiantelevision.com
NEW DELHI: In a bid to check the rising menace of paid news, the government is considering amending the Press and Registration of Books and Publications Act.
The recommendation was made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee which examined the amendment bill of 2011 in this regard.
A few instances related to electronic media have been brought to the notice of the government, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said.
Whenever such allegations/grievances/petitions regarding unethical practices and incessant misreporting are received, the government takes appropriate action under the Programme and Advertising Code prescribed under Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and the Rules framed thereunder.
The issue of paid news has also been examined by the Press Council of India. It had submitted a report on paid news to the government for necessary action after a sub-committee studied the issue. Although the Government had initially released only a short summary of the report, it had later placed the report on the Council?s website following an RTI application.
PCI had recommended amendment to the Representation of the People?s Act 1951 to make incidence of paid news a punishable electoral malpractice and suggested that the PCI must be fully empowered to adjudicate the complaints of ?paid news? to give final judgment in the matter among others.
The report had also suggested measures to curb the menace of paid news like setting up of a special cell in the Election Commission for action on such complaints and self-regulation by media and awareness generation.
PCI had cautioned the media to refrain from publishing news masquerading as advertisement and vice-versa.
The Election Commission has also taken cognizance of this malaise and initiated steps to check incidence of election time paid news, which includes transparency in the money spent by candidates on advertising, a ban on exit and opinion polls until the last round is over, and similar other measures.
Meanwhile, the Ministry is in the process of making a reference to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to examine alleged monopolistic practices in the distribution segment of the broadcasting sector.
The Government made a reference to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on 16 May last year to examine the entire gamut of media ownership issues.
The Ministry has requested Trai to provide recommendations on specific issues of vertical integration within the various segments in the broadcasting sector as in the present scenario more and more broadcasting companies owning television channels are venturing into various distribution platforms, cable TV distribution, DTH, and IPTV etc. and similarly many companies owning distribution platforms are also entering into television broadcasting.
Trai has also been asked to look into the issue of horizontal integration wherein companies have controls/ownerships across print, TV and radio. The broadcast sector?s recommendations are awaited.
