Media bodies want PCI's credibility restored

Eight media bodies and journalists organisations have demanded that the  Centre must restore "the credibility and sanctity" of the Press Council of India (PCI)  as its chairman C K Prasad kept out "certain media associations and candidates" from the reconstitution of the thirteenth council of the print media watchdog.

They also demanded that the proposed meeting of the "truncated" press council must not be held and be deferred till the full council is reconstituted, referring to the Delhi High Court's stay order on the process for nomination of candidates for the new council.

The PCI chairman has called a meeting of the reconstituted Press Council with only eight members, which included five parliamentarians and three official nominees out of 28, leaving out the representatives of print media organisations, even as their names are yet to be notified and the council reconstitution is still underway.

"The government should intervene to restore the credibility and sanctity of the PCI. 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," representatives of working journalists, editors and owners of media organisations demanded in a joint statement.

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

The representatives of these eight organisations had held a meeting on Saturday to discuss "the grave situation arising out of the premeditated actions" of the PCI chairman in reconstituting the thirteenth press council.