The wrong counsel – Editorial
The First Press Commission recommended the establishment of a Press Council of India (PCI) in the 1950s. It was in response to a survey of yellow journalism, but the first element of the commission’s mandate for the proposed statutory body was to secure the freedom of the press.
The problematics of media bias were secondary, since only a free press could be called upon to be responsible. The PCI has been on the side of the angels in some of the most disturbing periods in contemporary history, like the insurgency in Punjab and the violent polarisation triggered by the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. It produced a good report on the media in Kashmir in 2017.
But now, it has actually gone against the mandate set for it well before its inception in 1966. The PCI has sought to intervene in the matter of a petition filed by Kashmir Times in the Supreme Court, seeking removal of press curbs which have crippled reporting from Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370.…
SEE ALSO:
- On the wrong side: On PCI backing Kashmir restrictions – Editorial (Aug 26, 2019, The Hindu)
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/on-the-wrong-side/article29254013.ece - If Indian media fails to speak out against the silencing of Kashmir, it risks losing its own voice in the future – By Praveen Swami (Aug 29, 2019, First Post)
https://www.firstpost.com/india/if-indian-media-fails-to-speak-out-against-the-silencing-of-kashmir-it-risks-losing-its-own-voice-in-the-future-7240991.html - Among the 3,000 detained by Indian authorities in Kashmir: Children – By Niha Masih and Joanna Slater (Aug 29, 2019, Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/among-the-3000-detained-by-indian-authorities-in-kashmir-children/2019/08/29/1616b5c0-c91c-11e9-9615-8f1a32962e04_story.html - How Children Are Being ‘Picked Up’ in Night Raids Across Kashmir – By Aditya Menon (Aug 26, 2019, The Quint)
https://www.thequint.com/news/india/kashmir-situation-night-raids-children-article-370-srinagar-pulwama
