The recent recommendations by the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the government’s media strategy have seen a fierce backlash from the Editors Guild of India. The guild has labelled these recommendations as indicative of the government’s increasingly authoritarian attitude towards any dissenting voices in the media. The contentious GoM includes five Cabinet Ministers and four Ministers of State, and was established in mid-2020.
Background: The Editors Guild of India
The Editors Guild was instituted in 1978 with dual objectives – to safeguard press freedom and to elevate the standards of editorial leadership in newspapers and magazines.
Main Points: GoM Report on Media Strategy
The report puts forward several recommendations aimed at shaping the media’s portrayal of the government.
1. It suggests that journalists who have lost their jobs but shown support or neutrality towards the current regime should be employed across various ministries to help project a positive image of the government.
2. In a forward-thinking move, it advocates increased engagement with journalism schools, recognising today’s students as tomorrow’s journalists.
Connecting with Foreign Media and Non-resident Indians (NRIs)
The report pushes for regular interaction with foreign journalists and NRIs. This is part of its global outreach initiative intended to correctly present the government’s perspective in international forums. An effective communication system with the NRI community can counter negative narratives abroad.
Highlighting Government Achievements
The report advocates widely circulating positive stories and testimonials showcasing the government’s work. It also suggests rebutting negative stories and increasing advertisements in regional languages to connect better with locals. The government magazine, New India Samachar, should be physically distributed to six lakh people and digitally to eight crore people.
Utilizing Social Media
Engagement with platforms like Twitter and Google is recommended to enhance the government’s positive reach.
Countering False Narratives
The report suggests strategies to monitor 50 ‘negative influencers’ who discredit the government while encouraging 50 ‘positive influencers’ who portray the government’s work appropriately.
Editors Guild’s Concerns
The Editors Guild sees the GoM report as illustrating the government’s increasingly draconian stance against media criticism. They express concern that the proposed suggestions imply escalated surveillance and targeting of writers and journalists deviating from the government’s narrative.
Way Forward
To ensure a balanced approach, it is suggested that the government uphold constitutional freedom of expression values for media and journalists. The media, on the other hand, should adhere to core principles such as truth, accuracy, transparency, independence, fairness, impartiality, responsibility, and fair play to gain credibility.
The government and media must work together to counter content manipulation and fake news without undermining media freedom. This requires public education, strengthening regulations, and tech companies’ efforts to develop suitable algorithms for news curation.
