The government stated that the accreditation of a journalist could be permanently cancelled if the person is found generating or propagating fake news, after it came out with stringent measures to contain the menace.
As per the amended guidelines for the accreditation of journalists, if the publication or telecast of fake news is confirmed, the accreditation of that journalist would be suspended for a period of six months in the first violation and for one year in case of a second violation and in case of a third violation, his or her accreditation would be cancelled permanently.
It said any complaint of instances of fake news would be referred to the Press Council of India (PCI), if it pertains to print media, and to the News Broadcasters Association (NBA), if it relates to the electronic media, for determination of the news item being fake or not. This determination is expected to be completed within 15 days by these agencies.
Once the complaint is registered for determination of fake news, the accreditation of the journalist, whoever created and/or propagated the fake news, will be suspended till the determination regarding the fake news is made.
The Accreditation Committee of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), which consists of representatives of both the PCI and the NBA, would be reached out for validating any accreditation request of any news media agency.
While examining the requests seeking accreditation, the regulatory agencies would check whether the Norms of Journalistic Conduct' and Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards', prescribed by the PCI and NBA respectively, are adhered to by the journalists as part of their functioning.
