National Press Day, which is celebrated every year on 16 November marks the formation of the Press Council of India. The First Press Commission had envisioned a ‘Press Council’ to protect freedom of the press and to create an excellent standard of journalism. Although the Press Council was established on 4 July 1966, it started working from 16 November 1966.
During this year’s National Press Day, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday said that fake news is a bigger problem than paid news. He also added that the press should discuss ways to curb it. “The press should discuss ways to curb fake news. It is a bigger problem than paid news.”
He further said, “A fake news was spread that some people are child-lifters which led to the killing of 20 people. When discussions are held on lynching then one lynching is discussed but these 20 people also died of lynching which is not discussed.”
Javadekar also mentioned that freedom of the press was curbed during the British regime. “Today is National Press Day. Whenever the word-press comes up, the idea of freedom comes along with it. Before independence, the Britishers curbed the freedom of the press. After independence, only once during 1975-77, the freedom of the press was curbed again due to emergency.”
The Union Minister further stated that the press should understand its own values and responsibility on this day as news is different from views. “People have the right to get news. Freedom has to be in the form of responsible freedom.”
Source: ANI
Posted in National, News
