The Press Council of India Tuesday asked the media to give objective reports about the election and cautioned it against the phenomenon of paid news.
Issuing guidelines for the media, the PCI said newspapersare not expected to indulge in unhealthy election campaigns, exaggeratedreports about any candidate or party during the elections.
“It will be the duty of the press to give objective reportsabout the election and the candidates,” the PCI said in a statement.
While reporting on the actual campaign, a newspaper may notleave out any important point raised by a candidate and make an attack on hisor her opponent, it said.
The print media watchdog also cautioned the press to eschewreports which tend to promote feelings or enmity or hatred between people onthe grounds of region, religion, race, caste, community or language.
The press should refrain from publishing false or criticalstatements in regard to the personal character and conduct of any candidate orin relation to the candidature or withdrawal of any candidate or candidature,to prejudice the prospects of that candidate in the elections, it said.
The PCI also cautioned against publishing unverifiedallegations against any candidate or party.
The council said whenever the newspapers publish pre-pollsurveys, they should take care to preface them conspicuously by indicating theinstitutions which have carried on such surveys, the individuals andorganisations which have commissioned them, the size and nature of sampleselected and the method of selection of the sample for the findings.
The PCI asked the media to guard against paid news which itdefined as “any news or analysis appearing in any media (print &electronic) for a price in cash or kind as consideration”.
It also urged authorities that rules and orders regulatingentry of the media persons to places of election should be notified and thecut-off date for applying for passes should be given due and advance publicity.
“The authorities cannot prohibit the use of vehicles by themedia persons for movement during elections although its use for the voters bycandidates and their agents is prohibited because the journalist have to movefrom booth to booth and collect information from all the centres whether on thepolling day or at the time of counting,” it said.