Press Council says Indian media is responsible for verifying foreign content before publishing

Media watchdog says it has considered references received from govt on responsibility of Indian newspapers in publishing foreign content, and thinks unregulated circulation is ‘not desirable’.

Newspapers in India | Representational image: Commons

New Delhi: The Press Council of India (PCI) has advised the media to publish extracts of foreign content only after due verification.

An advisory issued by the media watchdog Wednesday stated the PCI has considered references received “by the government” about the responsibility of Indian newspapers in publishing foreign content. The council is of the view that unregulated circulation of the foreign content is “not desirable”.

It goes on to advise the media to “publish foreign extracts in Indian newspapers with due verification as the reporter, publisher and editor of such newspaper shall be responsible for the contents, irrespective of the source from which it is received”.

Constituted in 1966 as an autonomous, statutory, quasi-judicial body, the Press Council serves as a watchdog for newspapers and news agencies of the country, with power to censure outlets for violations.

Govt has been watching foreign reportage on India

Sources in the council said the advisory comes after it received several complaints over various Indian media outlets publishing reports or extracts from foreign publications, some of which have been seen as critical of the Government of India and the ruling BJP.

“According to the PRB ACT (Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867), the editor is responsible for whatever is published in a publication,” a PCI source said when asked about the advisory.

Government officials also said that they keep a close watch on the foreign media’s reportage on India, and have issued rebuttals on reports deemed one-sided or inaccurate.

Prasar Bharati, the parent body of state broadcasters Doordarshan and All India Radio, had repeatedly taken on multiple foreign publications on their reportage of incidents within India, such as the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the Ayodhya verdict, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the riots in northeast Delhi.

The organisation, through its digital arm Prasar Bharati News Services (PBNS), had attacked even premier foreign publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post of the US, The Guardian of the UK and Le Monde of France, all of which had published reports seen as critical of the Narendra Modi government.