About Press Council of India:
- It is a statutory quasi-judicial autonomous authority, re-established in 1979 under the Press Council Act, 1978.
- Objectives
- Preserving the freedom of the press.
- Maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers and news agencies in India.
- Composition:
- Chairman: The Chairman, typically a retired Supreme Court judge, is nominated by a committee that includes the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and an elected representative from the 28 members.
- Other Members: Of the 28 members, 13 represent working journalists, which include six editors and seven other working journalists, other than editors of newspapers.
- 6 members represent newspaper owners or managers, with two each from large, medium, and small newspapers.
- One member comes from the news agency sector.
- In addition, the Press Council of India comprises 5 representatives from Parliament—3 nominated by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and 2 by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
- 3 members representing education, law, and literature are nominated by the University Grants Commission, Bar Council of India, and Sahitya Akademi.
- Powers of Press Council of India:
- Helping newspapers to maintain their independence;
- Building up a code of conduct for journalists and newspapers according to high professional standards;
- Reviewing any development which is likely to restrict the supply and dissemination of news of public interest and importance;
- Reviewing such cases where assistance has been received by any newspaper or news agency in India from foreign sources, as referred to it by the Central Government;
- It adjudicates the complaints either against the Press for violation of journalistic ethics or by the Press for interference with its freedom.
