Thakur in RS: Not considering setting up media council suggested by parliamentary panel

The union government Thursday said it is not considering setting up a media council as had been recommended by a parliamentary panel, PTI reported.

In December last year, a parliamentary panel headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had suggested that a media council with statutory powers be formed to check “irregularities” in print, electronic and digital media, and that the Press Council of India be restructured.

In a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, union minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur said, “The government regularly holds consultations with stakeholders and utilises data/information available from various sources for policy formulation, building strategies, etc. The setting up of a media commission is not considered necessary at present.”

This comes days after Thakur said the government does not agree with India’s ranks on press freedom lists as they give no weightage to “fundamentals of democracy” and have small sample sizes, the Hindustan Times reported. On Tuesday, while answering a question in the parliament, Thakur questioned the methodology used by non-profit organisations such as Reporters Without Borders, and said that the government does not subscribe to their conclusions.