National Press Day is symbolic of a free and responsible press in India. This was the day on which the Press Council of India started functioning as a moral watchdog to ensure that not only did the press maintain the high standards expected from this powerful medium but also that it was not fettered by the influence or threats of any extraneous factors. Though there are several Press or Media Councils world over, the Press Council of India is a unique entity in as much as this is the only body to exercise an authority even over the instruments of the State in its duty to safeguard the independence of the press. The Press Council of India celebrated National Press Day on theme “The Media’s Role in Nation Building” at SCOPE convention centre in New Delhi today. The Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur was the chief guest at the event and released the “Norms of Journalistic Conduct, 2022”. Celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav marking 75th year of India’s independence, the dignitaries deliberated on the topic ‘the Role of Media in Nation Building’ to appreciate, analyse and ascertain the plausible ways that may pave the way towards preserving the standards of Indian media which is celebrated as the fourth pillar of the Democracy. Delivering inaugural address, the Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Singh Thakur complimented Swapan Dasgupta for his erudite views, expressed eloquently, on the theme of today’s deliberations – “The Media’s Role in Nation Building”. The Union Minister stated “This is a solemn occasion to pay our humble tribute to stalwarts who made the Press a powerful voice and a worthy Fourth Pillar of our democracy.” He further added “The intimate involvement of towering leaders of our struggle for independence with the Press propelled them to ensure Freedom of the Press was enshrined through constitutional provisions. The birth of the Press Council of India came much later, but the impulse was the same, to ensure democracy is safeguarded and strengthened. The Union Minister further said, “Regrettably, within a decade of the Press Council of India coming into existence as a Lighthouse for Press Freedom, it was abolished during the Emergency along with the suspension of Fundamental Rights. It is a matter of pride for me that the council was revived through a fresh Act of Parliament steered by none other than L K Advani as Minister for Information & Broadcasting. As a nation we have not looked back since then, though there have been setbacks by way of unacceptable restrictions like those imposed by 66A of the IT Act. It was justifiably struck down by the Supreme Court. Over the last 75 years, as democracy has flourished in our great nation, so has media.” Thakur expressed happiness that Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Government has made the information landscape more robust by streamlining governance norms through simplified and transparent processes & wants to see media play a greater and more constructive role in building a New India as our nation’s stature rises globally. The Union Minister said, “As with all things that expand with speed, the expansion of media in India merits a cautionary note. Much of the media governance structure is self-regulatory. But self-regulatory does not mean licence to err and err intentionally. That would erode media credibility. Bias and prejudice must be abjured. It is for media to reflect and self-introspect on how to immunise itself from the virus of Infodemic which continues to inflict malicious disinformation on societies across geographies. A related twin-concern is that of paid news and fake news. Similarly, clickbait journalism, made fashionable by social media, contributes nothing to media credibility; it contributes even less to nation-building. Media must not allow the space for responsible, fair and balanced journalism be occupied by others.”
