New Delhi, August 23 : Focussing on media coverage of Gujarat riots, Press Council of India has censured Gujarat Samachar and Sandesh in eight cases and has also underlined the need for revising the code of journalistic ethics in view of the emergence of the electronic media.

The censure of the two prominent Gujarati newspapers and warning to
Tarun Mitra, Saamna and Vishwamitra, for "transgressing" the norms
relating to reporting on communal matters came when the Council recently adjudicated on 24 cases relating to media coverage of the riots.

In another case, the Council also asked the two newspapers to publish
a rejoinder of noted dancer and social worker Mallika Sarabhai for "scurrilous" reports carried by them in April last year without verifying facts wherein personal remarks were made against her.

According to a press release issued by the Council, it also adopted a report of its Special Committee appointed to examine the role of the media during and after Gujarat riots.

Commenting upon the role played by the electronic media, the Council
felt the telecast of pictures raises ethical issues that required to be deliberated upon.

The council also noted that a number of times, the print media has maintained that it cannot be hauled for code violations as they have to compete with the electronic media which has already telecast the news.

The Council said the media must be cautious, restrained and responsible while reporting internal conflicts and disturbances, but truth should not be a casualty.

While the Council is totally against any kind of censorship, it noticed that with the outreach of TV and 24 hour news channels giving live coverage of the riots, it is not possible for the print media to withhold photographs depicting the carnage, destruction, looting and burning.

However, stern action could be taken on two counts: The impact the
photographs may have and their captions.

Further, the Special Committee felt that the Council must make all out efforts to get the proposed amendments to the Press Council Act, 1978, long pending with the Government, enacted urgently.

It appreciated the recent guidelines of the DAVP that a newspaper will stand suspended with immediate effect if found submitting wrong information in his application or suspected to have been indulging in unethical or anti-national activities.

The Council felt that the audio-visual media, especially the TV channels, must be governed by some norms of conduct and a cell/committee should be set up immediately to monitor reportage of communal riots, whenever these occur.

While condemning the attacks on journalists and viewing them as an
assault on the freedom of the press, specially when it is by the Government or its agencies, the Council felt that other than the state providing security to mediapersons, they should be provided insurance cover by their respective organisations while covering news of communal conflicts.

Report taken from Sify.com

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