Fake news regulation : PM Modi withdraws order
New Delhi, Apr 2 (IBNS) : A day after the Centre ordered revocation of accreditation to journalists found involved in circulating fake news, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday directed to withdraw it, leaving the matter to be addressed by the Press Council of India, media reports said.
The order, which evoked sharp reactions and raised the allegation of an attempt to curb press freedom, was issued on Monday night by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, which is headed by Smriti Irani.
The Ministry came out with stringent measures to contain the menace of fake news, saying the accreditation of a journalist could be permanently cancelled if the scribe is found generating or propagating fake news.
A press release had stated that if the agencies – Press Council of India for print media and News Broadcasters Association for electronic media – find the complaint to be true, the journalist will lose accreditation for six months for the first violation. A second violation would get the journalist’s accreditation suspended for a year, and a third violation would take it away permanently.
The press release had said the Government had amended the Guidelines for Accreditation of Journalists, “noticing the increasing instances of fake news in various mediums including print and electronic media”.
Top editors and opposition parties accused the Government of trying to control the media prompting Irani to tweet on Tuesday morning that she was open to suggestions on how to modify the order and tackle fake news.
Soon after that, the Prime Minister's Office said the controversial order was withdrawn.
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