Poll officers to monitor 'paid news'

In its guidelines on monitoring poll expenses, the CEC has directed the district election officers to constitute Media Certification and Monitoring Committee to monitor campaigning in media.

The panel has been allotted a separate room with three television sets, newspapers etc, to keep an eye on campaigning in media. The team goes through/views poll-related advertisements in media and verifies whether they conform to the model code of conduct. It will also record all clippings/discussions pertaining to candidates and political parties, both in print and electronic media.

A report will be submitted to the election officer on a daily basis. The team also arrives at an estimate of expenditure and the details are recorded in a register.

The system has been introduced to curb the practice of excluding the expenses out of poll expenditure, Deputy Commissioner Manoj Kumar Meena told Deccan Herald. Notice will be issued in case any instance of “paid news” comes to light.