Only official corona news now on: SC
The Supreme Court has directed all media houses – print, digital, television and social – to stick to official sources for news on coronavirus and ensure that unverified news is not disseminated as it can cause unwanted panic among citizens.
Releasing the court's order on Tuesday, the I&B Ministry said the court wants the media to maintain a strong sense of responsibility and ensure that unverified news capable of causing panic is not disseminated.
It said the Apex Court had noted that the recent migration of labourers in the cities was triggered by panic created by fake news that the lockdown would continue for more than three months.
Noting that it was not possible for it to overlook the menace of fake news, the court has clarified in its order that it does not intend to interfere with the free discussion about the pandemic, but media should only publish the official version about the developments.
The Health Ministry on Wednesday created a new email
The Congress party immediately slammed the government for its "Tughlaqi farman" of gagging the media, intimidating it and suppressing information to avoid questions; it was thus in a circuitous manner trying to control the free flow of information on the pretext of controlling fake news on coronavirus.
Asserting that media's freedom of press as guaranteed in the Constitution is being attacked, spokesman Jaiveer Shergill asked whether it is not in national interest for media to ask questions at this critical juncture.
"Is the government upset because of unavailability of corona testing kits? Is it upset that doctors and nurses are using polythene covers for protection since they do not have the prescribed overalls? Is the government afraid of the questions that the migrants are asking?
While Air India had been deployed to ferry foreigners and fetch rich Indians from abroad, no bus was provided to transport the workers." he pointed out. Shergill said this appears to be yet another attempt of the BJP government to turn "loktantra" (democracy) into "dandatantra" (rule by baton) to silence the media.
He said there is a shortage of PPE, testing kits and masks, a shortage created by the government by exporting them wholesale. He dubbed the offer of EMI moratorium as another fraud perpetrated on the people.