BA (JMC) 24104 – Media Laws & Ethics

Unit 2: Press Commissions and Committees

Shefalli Chhibber

2.1 Press Commissions

Why Press Commissions?

When India was under the rule of Britishers, Media played a pivotal role to play in
creating awareness among the people regarding their rights and how they can fight for
their motherland. But when India gained independence, the role of media started
shifting from a mission to business. press was supposed to play the role of a guide and
a watchdog, which to a large extent it did. However, it stumbled at places. The media
became aimless for some years and started working against the initial objective of
media. It was observed that media had started scurrilous writings against certain
religious groups that aggravated the communal unrest in the country. Media was also
involved in writing vulgar and indecent writings that lowered the status of media in
our country. There was a sudden increase in yellow journalism in India that was not
limited to a particular language or area but was spread across the country.

Because of these reasons, it was deemed important to establish a committee that

monitor closely the working of the press and lay down certain recommendations that
would improve the overall functioning and help establish working standards for press.

First Press Commission

The first Press Commission was appointed in 1952 with the following objectives:
(i) To safeguard the freedom of speech and expression of Press
(ii) To establish a control over the Sensationalisation of news and also, to curb
the indecent and vulgar content in the press that led to unrest.
(iii) To enquire into the control, management and ownership and financial
condition of the media industry.

The first Press Commission was constituted on 23rd September 1952 with Justice J.S.
Rajadhyaksha as the chairman. It was setup by the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting. This committee was a 10-working member group. The commission
enquired about the condition of press and looked into the factors that influence the
establishment and maintenance of ethical standards of Journalism in India. The
Commission inquired into the control, management and ownership, the financial
structure as well as other important aspects of the newspaper industry in the country.
The committee submitted its report in September 1955 in the form of
recommendations that became the basic policy in regard to press in India.

Recommendations of First Press Commission

(i) To protect the freedom of the press and to maintain high standards of
journalism, a press council should be established. This recommendation
was accepted and Press Council of India was established in July 1966.

(ii) To prepare the account of the press and the position of every year, there
should be appointment of the Registrar of Newspaper for India RNI). This
recommendation was also accepted and in July 1956, RNI was appointed.

(iii) Price-page schedule should be introduced. It was also accepted in 1956.

(iv) For maintaining a cordial relationship between the government and the
Press, a Press Consultative Committee should be constituted. It was
accepted and a Press Consultative Committee was constituted on 22nd
September 1962.

(v) Working Journalists Act should be implemented. The government

implemented this and in 1955 the working journalist and other newspaper
employees conditions of services and miscellaneous Provisions Act was
set up.

(vi) For protecting the main principles of the freedom of the press and to help
the newspapers against monopolistic tendencies, a Newspaper Financial
Corporation should be constituted. It was accepted in principle and on 4th
December 1970, a Bill was also presented in the Lok Sabha, but it lapsed.

Second Press Commission

The second Press Commission came barely 15 months after the first experience of
government censorship that the Indian Press went through during Emergency, 1975-
1977. After the emergency ended, the new government constituted the Second Press
Commission in May, 1978. The Chairman of Second Press Commission was Justice
PC Goswami. This committee was dissolved and after the new government came in
power, the commission was reconstituted with Justice K K Mathew.

The second press commission was constituted with the aim to make the press neither a
mindless adversary nor an unquestioning ally to the government. It was constituted
mainly to analyse the role of press in a developing country like India and what exactly
should be the condition of Freedom of Press in India. Overall, this commission was
constituted to study the economics of the newspaper industry.

Recommendations of Second Press Commission

(i) An attempt should be made to establish a cordial relation between the

government and the press.

(ii) For the development of small and medium newspaper, there should be
establishment of Newspaper Development Commission. Newspaper
industries should be separated from industries and commercial interests.

(iii) There should be appointment of Board of Trustees between editors and

proprietors of the newspaper.

(iv) There should be a fixed proportion of news and advertisements in small,

medium and big newspaper.

(v) Newspaper industries should be relieved from the impact of foreign

capital.

(vi) No predictions should be published in newspapers and magazines.

(vii) The government should prepare a stable Advertisement Policy.

(viii) The Press Information Bureau should be reconstituted.