Newspaper Society opposes suggestion to suspend govt ads

NEW DELHI: The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) and the Association of Radio Operators for India (AROI) strongly opposed on Wednesday a suggestion by Congress president Sonia Gandhi that the government and public sector undertakings should not issue any print or electronic media advertisements for two years in order to save money.

INS president Shailesh Gupta expressed disbelief at the suggestion, saying the proposal was tantamount to promoting the idea of financial censorship of media outlets. Gupta said the amount spent on advertisements was meagre for the government but was critical for the survival of the print media business, a key feature of any vibrant democracy.

“In the age of fake news and distortion, print is the best platform to get news and views directly across to the people in every nook and corner of the country -- for both the government and the opposition,” Gupta said in a statement.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said the government spent ~1,250 crore on media advertisements a year, an amount that could be utilised instead for Covid-19 relief measures.

The AROI requested Gandhi to review and withdraw her suggestion and demonstrate her support for one of the crucial pillars of democracy -- the media.

“The last year has been a very difficult one for radio, especially for radio stations in small towns, due to a huge drop in government advertising.

Radio has been wholeheartedly supporting the national war on Covid-19, through 380 private FM stations across India,” Uday Chawla, AROI secretary-general, said in a release. “We request the government to restore its advertising on radio to normal levels.”

Highlighting that newspaper personnel were risking their lives to ensure that readers received authentic news on the coronavirus pandemic, the INS asked Gandhi to withdraw the suggestion.

Notably, Prime Minister Modi, during a recent interaction with newspaper publishers, hailed the high credibility of print media and praised the efforts that went into providing accurate information to countrymen.

The Prime Minister had stressed on the importance of tackling the spread of pessimism, negativity and rumour mongering while fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

CONGRESS PRESIDENT SONIA GANDHI HAD SUGGESTED THAT THE GOVT SUSPEND MEDIA ADS FOR TWO YEARS