Report No. 255

E. Recommendations by Other Studies on Paid News

(i) Mandatory disclaimer and separation of editorial and management

7.31.1. The report on paid news prepared by a Sub-Committee of two members of the Press Council of India attempted to separate the blurring boundaries between news and advertisements.280 A significant recommendation made by the sub-committee was that of mandating a disclaimer by the hosting medium. The editor or editor-in-chief of a publication should print a declaration in his or her newspaper stating that the news that is published has not been paid for by any political party or individual.

280 Press Council Sub-Committee Report, Paid News": How Corruption In The Indian Media Undermines Democracy,
<http://presscouncil.nic.in/OldWebsite/Sub-CommitteeReport.pdf>

7.31.2. Further, there should be a clear distinction between the management and the editorial staff in media companies. The independence of the editor should be maintained and safeguarded. It also seeks to provide right of reply to the candidates: "Press is not expected to indulge in canvassing of a particular candidate/party. If it does, it shall allow the right of reply to the other candidate/party." In order to operationalise these reform suggestions, the committee also recommended the constitution of district level committees for scrutiny of Paid News during the periods of election.