PCI asks EC to address concerns over lack of assistance to members from state poll officials

The Press Council of India has taken up with the Election Commission the issue of council members nominated to the state-level media certification and monitoring committees not getting appropriate assistance from state poll authorities.

PCI nominates journalists to the district and state level Media Certification and Monitoring Committees (MCMCs) that are composed to ensure that there are no cases of paid news in print, electronic and digital media.

MCMCs also monitors all political advertisements in electronic and print media to check if the content is being published with the consent of the candidate in whose expense the advertisement will be added.

"It has come to the notice of the Press Council of India that PCI's members nominated to the state-level media certification and monitoring committees are not getting appropriate assistance from state election authorities to carry out the mandate in the states and they are not being invited for the meetings of state-level MCMCs," the PCI said in a statement.

Taking serious view of this, the council, in a letter to the EC, requested the EC to take up its concern with state election authorities and issue necessary advisory or directives to them so that the members of the council can suitably extend their expertise to state election authorities.