‘Indian media is self-regulated but must avoid erring intentionally,’ says I&B minister Anurag Thakur

Cautioning media against the ‘debilitating infodemic’ and ‘digital colonialism’, Thakur said at DNPA conclave that it must showcase work of the government and country to the world.

I&B minister Anurag Thakur at DNPA Conclave & Awards 2024 Tuesday | X/@ianuragthakur

YUTHIKA BHARGAVA, The Print, 06 February, 2024 : New Delhi: The media in India is self-regulated, however, this does not give it a licence to “err intentionally”, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Anurag Thakur said Tuesday, even as he called on the media to leverage the power of the pen to showcase the work of the “government and the country” to the world.

He was speaking at the 2024 conclave of Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), an industry body for online news publishers, in New Delhi.

According to Thakur, the media needs introspection to immunise itself against the “infodemic” virus.

“As with all things that expand with speed, the expansion of the media in India also merits a cautionary note. Much of the media governance structure is self-regulatory… but self-regulation does not mean the licence to err, and err intentionally. That would erode the credibility of the media,” said Thakur.

“We may have left the (Covid) pandemic behind us but the debilitating infodemic seems here to stay. It is for the media to reflect and introspect on how to immunise itself against the virus of infodemic which continues to inflict disinformation on societies across geographies,” he added.

Stating that democracies across the world were looking at disinformation, the minister pointed out that another related concern was that of paid news and fake news.

“Clickbait journalism contributes nothing to media credibility. And it contributes even less to nation-building. The media has to reoccupy the space of responsible, fair and balanced journalism,” he said.

According to Thakur, some foreign as well local media houses were working with an “anti-India bias” which was reflected in their reporting.

The “wrong sentiment”, he said, leads to fabricated reports. “They have created such a nexus that even when questioned by the agencies for their wrongdoings, which is against the law of the land, they shout and tell the world that there is a threat to the media in the country. They want to cover up their wrongdoings in the name of the media,” Thakur explained.

He asserted that some foreign media houses — where many people of Indian-origin work — do not report facts despite knowing them.

“Nothing should be detrimental to the country. The country should not be harmed. Your work is to deliver news, not to create it. I feel that the Indian media understands the realities very well and reports with responsibility. But today its responsibility is not only to report within the boundaries of India. With the digital platforms, you have to showcase India’s growth, its art, its culture and literature… what good is happening in India and anything related to India… you can showcase globally,” the minister said.

He, however, cautioned about the growing danger of “digital colonialism on platforms run by algorithms coded offshore behind the walls of transparency”.

“We must remain cautious not to accept anything and everything in the name of innovation and modernity,” said Anurag Thakur.

(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)