Form TN Press Council to weed out fake journos, TN govt told
CHENNAI: In a bid to clean up the press and the media of fake journalists, the Madras High Court directed the State government to create a Press Council of Tamil Nadu headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and comprising serving journalists of standing, government officials and retired civil servants within three months.
Penning the judgement, Justice P Velmurugan who was part of a division bench that included Justice N Kirubakaran (since retired), said members part of the journalist community ought to be on regular payroll of media houses and organisations, evidenced by salary slips, payment of TDS and circulation or viewership details, as the case may be.
The term of their membership would be linked with their employment, and loss of job on any account such as resignation, dismissal or death and disability would result in their immediate exit from the board, the bench held.
Elaborating on the proposed council’s role, the court held that it would have the sole authority to recognise press clubs and journalists’ associations or unions in Tamil Nadu. It should not allow or recognise formation or continuation of clubs, unions or associations based on caste, community or State boundaries.
While seeking the council to conduct and approve elections to these organisation, the bench also sought it to join hands with reputed national and international bodies and offer training or refresher programmes for journalists regularly in order to help the members of journalistic fraternity remain up to date with developments across the country and abroad.
“To curtail the menace of fake journalists, the council shall have power to identify fake journalists and lodge complaints against them to jurisdictional police. Members of public as also other affected people can send their complaints regarding fake journalists to the welfare board, which shall inquire and initiate criminal action against such fake journalists because they are a menace and a threat to the civil society,” the court held while issuing a slew of directions.
The bench was passing orders on a couple of pleas relating to fake journalists.