BackINS wants Sonia Gandhi to withdraw statement asking for ban on govt ads in media
With govt finances in trouble due to lockdown, Gandhi had suggested this as a way to save costs to spend on poorThe media body said this spend was crucial for media and a ban would amount to "financial censorship"
PremiumNEW DELHI: The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has urged Congress President Sonia Gandhi to withdraw her statement calling for a two-year ban on media advertising by all state governments and public sector units. Gandhi had suggested this as a way to save government expenditure for spending on social welfare schemes for the poor.
With the ongoing 21-day national lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of covid-19 bringing the economy to a standstill, the government’s finances are under severe strain.
Earlier this week, both the Indian Broadcasting Foundation and the News Broadcasters Association had spoken up against Gandhi’s proposal. INS, like the other two bodies, suggested that “in the interest of a vibrant and free press," the Congress President withdraws it on grounds of the existing challenges for media and the crucial role it is playing at this time of crisis.
“Such a proposal tantamounts to financial censorship," a statement from the INS said. “It is a very small amount as far as government spending is concerned but it’s a huge amount for the newspaper industry which is essential for any vibrant democracy and is struggling to survive."
The statement added that not only is print the only medium which has a wage board and the government decides how much employees should be paid, but it is also struggling with the twin challenges of recession and digital onslaught, the coronavirus outbreak only aggravating the crisis. “In the age of fake news and distortion", it is also acting as an effective medium to take news to every nook and corner of the country, the INS statement.
The INS statement argued that at a time like this when media personnel are risking their lives and bringing news on the pandemic, the Congress President’s suggestion is “deeply disturbing and demotivating for the entire media industry".
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