Context: 

The Press Council of India (PCI) advised the print media to follow the norms of Journalistic Conduct­ 2022 on ‘paid news’ during the elections in various States.

Definition of ‘Paid News’:

• The Press Council of India (PCI) defines paid news as any news or analysis appearing in print or electronic media for consideration in cash or kind.
• The Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology acknowledged challenges in defining and determining what constitutes or qualifies as ‘paid news’.  
• It cited advertisements camouflaged as news, denial of coverage to select electoral candidates, exchanging of advertisement space for equity stakes between media houses and corporate and the rise in paid content as manifestations of paid news.

Advisory by PCI:

• Accurate Reporting: Newspapers should accurately report statements made by leaders without misconstruing or misquoting them. The editorial should reflect the true spirit of the message being conveyed.
• Avoid Caste-Based Reporting: News items that predominantly focus on the names of voters on a caste basis or the supporters of a particular political party suggest paid news.
• Be Wary of Competing Newspapers: When competing newspapers publish similar content, it strongly suggests paid news.
• Avoid Bias in Presentation: The presentation of news items or photographs should not be biased towards a particular party or candidate, and appeals for voting in favor of a particular party should be avoided.
• Avoid Speculative Reporting: Predicting a candidate’s success in an election before they have filed their nomination suggests paid news.
• Balanced Reporting: Newspapers should ensure balance in publishing reports and interviews of candidates while covering the election.
• Honest Assessment: Subject to the conditions set by the Election Commission of India, newspapers can make an honest assessment of the prospects of candidates or parties. Such publications would not be considered paid news unless consideration was established to have been passed on for such publication.

Reasons for rise in Paid News: 

The Standing Committee identified following key reasons for the rise in the incidence of paid news:

• Corporatisation of media
• Desegregation of ownership and editorial roles
• Decline in autonomy of editors/journalists due to emergence of contract system

Challenges in regulating Paid news:

• The Committee found the existing regulatory set-up dealing with paid news as inadequate.  
• It described voluntary self-regulatory industry bodies like the News Broadcasting Standards Authority and Broadcasting Content Complaints Council as an ‘eye wash’. 
• It found the punitive powers of statutory regulators like the PCI and Electronic Media Monitoring Centre (EMMC) to be inadequate.  
• It also highlighted the conflict of interest inherent with appointment of media-owners as members of the PCI or self-regulatory bodies.
• The Committee censured the MoIB for its failure to establish a strong mechanism to check the spread of paid news.

Way Forward:

• The Committee opined that financial accounts of the media houses should be subject to examination, especially the revenue source for a suspected paid news case. 
• It recommended mandatory disclosure of ‘private treaties’ and details of advertising revenue received by the media houses.
• The Committee recommended establishment of either a single regulatory body for both print and electronic media or enhancing punitive powers of the PCI and setting-up a similar statutory body for the electronic media.
• The Committee recommended that the ECI should have the authority to take punitive action against electoral candidates in cases of paid news.
• It also recommended inclusion of abetting and publishing of such paid news as an electoral offence with minimum punishment of two years imprisonment.

News Source: The Hindu