The Press Council of India took “punitive action” over six instances of fake news carried by the print media last year, Prakash Javadekar, information and broadcasting minister, told the Rajya Sabha on Monday. He did not provide any details, however.

The minister also explained the “Norms of Journalistic Conduct” for the media laid down by the PCI. The norms include accuracy and fairness; pre-publication verification; distinction between conjecture, speculation, comment and fact; avoiding sensational and provocative headings; and justifications for whatever is printed.

In case of violation of these norms, after holding an inquiry, PCI may warn, admonish, or censure the newspaper, news agency, editor, or journalist, or disapprove the conduct of the editor or the journalist, explained Javadekar. He also mentioned the Press Information Bureau’s fact-check unit, which was setup to “take cognizance of fake news”.