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| Congress, CPM question government's plan to check fake news, Smriti Irani responds | | | Agencies
NEW DELHI: The Congress and the CPM have questioned the Centre's new rules to check the spread of fake news saying these rules could be misused to harass honest journalists.
Who determines what news is fake is also an issue of contention, tweeted Congress leader Ahmed Patel.The government yesterday said the accreditation of a journalist could be permanently cancelled if the scribe is found generating or propagating fake news, reported PTI. As per amended guidelines for journalists' accreditation, if the publication or telecast of fake news is confirmed, the accreditation of the journalist responsible for it would be suspended for six months in the first violation and for one year in case of a second violation.
The Congress party's Patel said the new rules leave a lot of room for misuse.
"Is it not possible that motivated complaints will be filed to suspend accreditation until an enquiry is on? What is the guarantee that these guidelines will check fake news, or is it an attempt to prevent genuine reporters from reporting news uncomfortable to establishment?" asked Patel in a tweet.Senior CPM leader Sitaram Yechury also criticised the Centre's move, describing it as "duplicitous".
"We fought for press freedom during the Emergency, then against the Defamation Bill. We condemn this duplicitous move of the Modi government where in the garb of fake news, it will attack all the news it finds uncomfortable. We stand for, and are committed to a free and independent Press," tweeted Yechury.
Union information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani responded to the Congress's Patel, first saying she was glad to see him awake, then saying the Press Council of India (PCI) and the News Broadcasters Association(NBA) would decide what is fake and what is genuine. |
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