Tripura CM backs press council, slams ‘paid news’
27 Dec 2010
The Press Council of India (PCI) on Sunday said paid news was dangerous for the survival of democracy and the system of monopoly rights over media should be abolished.
''An investigation conducted by the PCI found that many big newspaper houses had indulged in paid news which is dangerous for democracy,'' PCI chairman Justice G N Ray said at a seminar organised by the Tripura Journalists Union.
Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar called upon working journalists to protest against the gradual erosion of ethics and values in the media, and rid the profession of these ''evil'' influences.
He however added that despite these concerns, many scams including the 2G spectrum allocation scandal were exposed by the media.
'Paid news' refers to newspaper articles that are dressed up as news stories, but paid for by business houses. The syndrome is hardly new; in earlier decades such pieces were called 'aditorials' or 'advertorials'. However, the issue made headlines in the wake of the last Lok Sabha elections and the election to the Maharashtra Assembly.
Justice Ray said a sub-committee of the PCI had carried out intensive investigations into allegations and come out with a detailed report.
