INS slams PCI for 'biased' selection of members

The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) on Wednesday expressed its anguish over the Press Council of India's "biased" selection of new members.

The apex body of the print media industry said it strongly disapproved of the "strategic manipulation" of the process of nominations to the PCI headed by Justice (retd) C K Prasad.

The PCI, a print media watchdog, was reconstituted for three years in October 2014. After its term ended in October last year, the panel was reconstituted without any official notification.

The INS said the entire process of nominating new members displayed a "lack of understanding of the PCI Act and RNI Act", a reference to the Press Council of India and the Registrar of Newspapers for India.

"It is imperative that mature responsibility and neutrality is now displayed, even at this late stage, to restore the credibility, impartiality and prestige of the Press Council of India," it said in a statement.

The INS also welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's withdrawal of the I and B ministry's new guidelines to check fake news.