NEW DELHI, Apr 8:A joint meeting of representatives of working journalists, editors and owners of the media was held at the INS on 7^th April to discuss the grave situation arising out of the premeditated actions of the Chairman of the Press Council of India in reconstituting the 13^th Press Council of India.

The following Joint statement by the All India Newspaper Editors Conference, Indian Journalists Union, Indian Newspaper Society, Working News Cameramen Association, Hindi Samachar Patra Sammelan, National Union of Journalists (India), All India Small and Medium Newspapers Federation and Press Association was issued:

The associations of the print media expressed grave concern over the procedure followed by the Chairman Press Council while reconstituting the 13^th Press Council of India. It noted that the Chairman overlooked precedence and adopted a process to keep out certain media associations and candidates. This action of the Chairman has cast serious doubts over the autonomy and neutrality of the PCI, which is mandated to preserve and protect the freedom of the Press.

Further, the Chairman has called a meeting of the reconstituted Press Council with only eight members—five MPs and three official nominees, out of 28 members, leaving out the rest of the representatives of the print media organisations as their names are yet to be notified and the Press Council reconstitution is still under way. Informatively, the Delhi Hugh Court has stayed the nomination process.

The meeting demanded that the proposed meeting of the truncated Press Council must not be held and must be deferred till the full Council is reconstituted. Even at this late stage, the meeting demanded the Government should intervene to restore the credibility and sanctity of the Press Council of India. This will go a long way in demonstrating the will of the Government to protect and preserve the freedom of the Press, vital to any democracy.

The meeting also discussed the recent reconstitution of the Central Press Accreditation Committee and condemned the unilateral and arbitrary way the official notification on Central Press Accreditation Committee (CPAC) which did not include any representative from any association/union/organization breaking a tradition of nearly 50 years.

Following the “Media Advisory” for nomination to CPAC on the Website of Press Information Bureau, the associations/unions submitted all the documents to the PIB earlier this month. The PIB asked in writing for more documents which were submitted and it was accepted.

But the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting came out with a notification of the CPAC in which all these associations/unions were excluded unilaterally barring that of one TV association there is no representation from the photo journalists at all nor anyone from outside New Delhi.  The present CPAC does not have a representative character to protect the interests of the journalists and their collective voice is excluded in the entire accreditations process.

 The unions/associations in a joint meeting urged the Government of India to include all such unions/associations in the CPAC. It also demanded that all the unions/associations/organizations which are in the panel of PCI should also be part of CPAC to give it a wider representation.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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