AMWJU urges all to follow PCI rules
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, December 19 2011:
In the light of increasing pressure to the media houses from different quarters and the possible harmful effects of publishing statements, advertisements, etc, of an organisation or individual to the society, All Manipur Working Journalist Union (AMWJU) appealed to the people, organisations and individuals to abide by the rules of Press Council of India (PCI) and the state Home Department.
The guidelines are:
i) The Press shall eschew publication of inaccurate, baseless, graceless, misleading or distorted material.
All sides of the core issue or subject should be reported.
Unjustified rumours and surmises should not be set forth as facts.
ii) On receipt of a report or article of public interest and benefit containing imputations or comments against a citizen, the editor should check with due care and attention its factual accuracy apart from other authentic sources- with the person or the organisation concerned to elicit his/her or its version, comments or reaction and publish the same alongside with due correction in the report where necessary.
In the event of lack or absence of response, a footnote to that effect may be appended to the report.
iii) Publication of news such as those pertaining to cancellation of examinations or withdrawal of candidates from election should be avoided without proper verification and cross checking.
iv) Newspaper should not publish anything which is manifestly defamatory or libellous against any individual/organisation unless after due care and verification, there is sufficient reason/evidence to believe that it is true and its publication will be for public good.v) Truth is no defence for publishing derogatory, scurrilous and defamatory material against a private citizen where no public interest is involved.
vi) No personal remarks which may be considered or construed to be derogatory in nature against a dead person should be published except in rare cases of public interest, as the dead person cannot possibly contradict or deny those remarks.
vii) The Press has a duty, discretion and right to serve the public interest by drawing reader's attention to citizens of doubtful antecedents and of questionable character but as responsible journalists they should observe due restraint and caution in hazarding their own opinion or conclusion in branding these persons as 'cheats' or 'killers' etc.
The cardinal principle being that the guilt of a person should be established by proof of facts alleged and not by proof of the bad character of the accused.
In the zest to expose, the Press should not exceed the limits of ethical caution and fair comment.
viii) Publication of defamatory news by one paper does not give licence to others to publish news/information reproducing or repeating the same.
The fact of publication of similar report by another publication does not bestow the status of accuracy on the charges.
ix) Insertion of out -of -context, uncalled for and irrelevant statements likely to malign a person or an organisation must be eschewed.
x) Even while a newspaper has the liberty or even duty to report political developments, that reporting may not be with angularity.
Freedom of Press does not give licence to a newspaper to malign a political leader or mar his future political prospects by publishing fake and defamatory writings.
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