Parl panel deliberates on issues related to media

A parliamentary panel took up for discussion issues like paid news, quality of reporting and norms followed by the media.
Senior officials of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and related organisations, in a meeting held earlier this week, apprised the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology of the norms for media.
In the meeting, members of the committee are learnt to have raised issues related to quality of news reporting. The role of the Press Council of India (PCI), its effectiveness and composition were also deliberated.
The committee is headed by Lok Sabha MP Anurag Thakur and has several eminent members including veteran parliamentarian L K Advani.

Another aspect which is learnt to have been considered in the meeting is related to the mechanism for redressal of grievances or complaints against news reporting.
A source said that a suggestion that emanated in the meeting was that the details regarding the phone number and email address of the PCI could also be printed in newspapers.
Members are also learnt to have expressed concern over the possible misuse of social media, the source said.
When contacted, Standing Committee chairman Thakur confirmed that a meeting had been convened and said that "media plays a very important role in a democracy". But "I cannot share the proceedings of the Standing Committee," he added.