Press Council of India

The Press Council of India is a statutory body responsible for adjudicating the press in India. It was formed in 1966 by an act of parliament.

What is the Press Council of India?

  • The Press Council of India is a self-regulatory body for the press.
  • It operates on a principle similar to that of democracy i.e. of the press, for the press and by the press.
  • The council is operated under the Press Council Act of 1978 and comprises of a council which has a chairman and 28 additional members.
  • While the chairman of the PCI is usually a retired Supreme Court judge, the additional members are members of media who are nominated by the newspapers, television channels and other media outlets working in India.
  • The council also has 5 are members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
  • The PCI is responsible for accepting the complaints which are made against and by the press in matters which are related to a journalist or a media organization’s ethical failures.
  • The Council is responsible to investigate, issue a report and can also “warn, admonish, censure or disapprove” the parties it finds at fault.
  • However, the PCI has no powers to enforce nor impose any penalty on the individual journalists and publications.

Code of conduct of the Press in India

  • The Press Council of India (PCI) issues the “Norms of Journalistic Conduct”.
  • This code of conduct is one of the two journalism-related codes used in India.

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