Press Council panel recommends censure of 4 newspapers, magazine

Hyderabad, June 27 (PTI): The Inquiry Committee of Press Council of India (PCI) on Thursday recommended censure of three newspapers and a magazine published from different states for “violation of norms of journalistic conduct”.

The committee, headed by PCI chairman Justice (Retd) Chandramauli Kumar Prasad, made the recommendations during it two-day sitting that concluded here on Thursday.

A total of 37 cases — eight by media persons aggrieved by the action of authorities and 29 by different people complaining about contents in newspapers and magazines, came up before the committee; Prasad said briefing media about the deliberations.

The panel, which holds its sitting in different parts of the country, disposed of 34 cases while hearing in respect of three others had been adjourned.

Those censured included English daily published from Hyderabad and a Raichur-based newspaper from Karnataka.

Out of the 37 cases listed before the Inquiry Committee 10 were from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, 11 from Tamil Nadu, seven from Kerala, six from Karnataka, two from Puducherry and one from Maharashtra.

“The decision of the Inquiry Committees not final. It goes for approval before the Full Council and it is after the decision of the Council the decision of the Inquiry Committee becomes final,” the PCI Chairman explained.

It recommended censure of the newspapers and the magazine “for violation of norms of journalistic conduct”, he said.

The Hyderabad-based English newspaper faced action for “passing of a full scale advertisement as news” which was against the norms of journalistic ethics, Prasad said.

On regulation of social media, Prasad said the PCI had already made its recommendation to the government five years ago for inclusion of all forms of media under the ambit of a Media Council.

“We have requested for constitution of a Media Council, which should look after all facets of media including electronic and social media. The government is yet to take a decision… We are surely in favour of a legislation covering all kinds of media including the social media”, Prasad said.