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The Rediff Special/Media wars

War of the fourth estate

Press Council of India chairman P B Sawant today took strong objection to the International Press Institute making ''peremptory verdicts'' on the council's powers and mandate on the basis of ''misinformation''.

Replying to a letter written by IPI director Johann P Fritz urging the PCI ''to refrain from interfering in matters that should be determined by the market and the law of the land,'' Justice (retd) Sawant said, ''We have not reached a stage where we have to learn the law of our land and the mandate of the Press Council Act from others.''

In its letter, the Vienna-based IPI, describing itself as a global network of editors and media executives, had expressed concern that the Press Council of India had been questioning the validity of the existing patterns of newspaper ownership in the country and the practice of employing journalists on contract.

''IPI agrees with Indian publishers and editors who believe that the Press Council of India should confine itself to its designated role -- prescribed under relevant statutes and regulations -- and that it should not delve into matters over which it has no jurisdiction.

''We believe that ownership structures and terms of employment are not the business of a press council and urge your institution to refrain from interfering in matters that should be determined by the market and the law of the land,'' Fritz said.

In a scathing reply to the IPI, released to the press in New Delhi, Justice Sawant pointed out that the Indian Constitution permitted and encouraged plural structures of ownership including cooperatives. The Press Council of India Act did not make any distinction between private owners and other owners.

He added that he had been advocating journalists' cooperative ownership of newspapers in addition to private ownership to ensure diverse sources of information which was necessary for debate and discussion in a democracy.

The Press Council had not yet expressed its opinion on the subject of contractual employment but is entitled to express it on any matter affecting the freedom of the press, Justice Sawant said.

''It is unfortunate that your institute has been completely misinformed on the recent controversy between Indian Newspaper Society and the Press Council of India,'' Justice Sawant said and added that the institute should refrain from pronouncing peremptory verdicts without at least first asking information on the subject from the other side.

UNI

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