Fake news more dangerous than paid news: I&B Minister Javadekar
New Delhi, Oct 3: Fake news is more dangerous than paid news and there is need for the government and the media to combat it jointly, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Thursday.
The government will not take any step that could curb media freedom, the minister said in an interaction with PTI journalists at the news agency's headquarters here. He suggested there should be some kind of regulation on over-the-top platforms (OTT), as there is for the print and electronic media as well as films.
OTT platforms include news portals and also 'streamers' such as Hotstar, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which are accessible over the internet or ride on an operator's network.
Javadekar said several mainstream media outlets have conveyed to the government that that there was no level-playing field with OTT platforms being completely unregulated.
"I have sought suggestions on how to deal with this because there are regular feature films coming on OTT -- good, bad and ugly. So how to deal with this, who should monitor, who should regulate. There is no certification body for OTT platforms and likewise news portals also," he said.
At the same time, he said the government has not taken any decision on the matter.
The Press Council of India takes care of the print media, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) monitors news channels, the Advertising Standards Council of India is for advertising while the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) takes care of films, he said.
"However, there is nothing for the OTT platforms," the I & B minister said.
There has been a spurt in news portals in India with several of them seeing a rise in the number of online subscribers.
Javadekar also expressed concern over fake news, saying it is "more dangerous than paid news".
"Fake news has to be stopped and that is our joint work. It is not just the government's job, it is everybody's job. Those who are in the business of genuine news, they all must strive hard (to combat it)," the minister said.
He said several media channels are tackling the menace by showing the truth with programmes such as "Viral Sach", and added that the print media should also carry columns on similar lines uncovering the truth of fake news.
"We have seen in the last few months that fake news on social media and gossip, rumours on child lifting have resulted in the deaths of more than 20-30 people in mob violence," he said.
Javadekar said the government is doing its bit to combat the menace and has run programmes on Doordarshan News such as 'Kashmir ka Sach' to tackle fake news about Kashmir, where Article 370 provisions were abrogated on August 5.
"We will be fast enough to react if there is fake news on government matter but the government is also concerned about overall public order. We are also asking state administrators to act (in countering fake news)," he said.
Many district magistrates have placed facts before the public to counter fake news about their area, he said.
Talking about paid news, the minister said it is unethical and the media community has to stop it.
"It has to give us (the government) suggestions, so that we all can act together to ensure that the small percentage of media that indulges in this are punished and this practice goes away," Javadekar said.
On the 10 per cent customs duty to be levied on imported newsprint and the subsequent demands for a rollback from the print media industry, Javadekar said discussions have taken place on the issue involving all stakeholders and the matter will be settled.
Asked about concerns over media freedom from some quarters, Javadekar said in India media freedom was attacked only once and that was 1975-77 during Emergency when there was censorship.
"We were angry. The whole nation fought for it. Then the press freedom came in its original form only because of our fight. We were in jail for 16 months for press, organisational and speech freedom," he said.
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‘Self-styled Vishwaguru stands exposed’: Cong's dig at PM over Pak role in US-Iran ceasefire
New Delhi (PTI): Taking a swipe at the government, the Congress on Wednesday said the role played by Pakistan in bringing about the ceasefire between the US and Iran is a “severe setback” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's “highly personalised diplomacy” and “the self-styled Vishwaguru stands thoroughly exposed”.
The opposition party also said Prime Minister Modi's “cowardice is demonstrated by his silence not only on Israel’s belligerence, but on the completely unacceptable and disgraceful language being used by his good friend in the White House”.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the entire world will cautiously welcome the two-week ceasefire in the West Asia conflict between the US and Israel on the one side and Iran on the other.
“The conflict had begun on February 28th with the targeted assassinations of the topmost echelons of the regime in Iran. These had started just two days after Prime Minister Modi had completed his much-trumpeted visit to Israel, a visit that diminished India’s global stature and standing,” Ramesh claimed.
PM Modi had said nothing about Israel’s "genocide" in Gaza and its aggressively expansionist policies in the occupied West Bank, Ramesh said.
“The role played by Pakistan in bringing about the ceasefire is a severe setback to both the substance and style of Mr Modi’s highly personalised diplomacy,” he said.
The policy to isolate Pakistan for its continuing support to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and to convince the world that it is a failed state has clearly not succeeded – unlike what Manmohan Singh had accomplished after the Mumbai terror attacks, Ramesh claimed.
That a bankrupt economy dependent entirely on the largesse of external donors and a broken country in so many ways was able to play such a role calls into question Modi’s strategy of engagement and narrative management, he said.
“He (Modi) or his team has also never explained why Op Sindoor was suddenly and abruptly halted on May 10th 2025 - the first announcement of which came from the US Secretary of State and for which the US President has claimed credit almost a hundred times since then,” the Congress leader said.
“There is a palpable sigh of relief everywhere. The External Affairs Minister (S Jaishankar) dismissed Pakistan as a dalal. But now the self-styled Vishwaguru stands thoroughly exposed, his self-declared 56-inch chest shrunk and shrivelled,” Ramesh said.
“His cowardice is demonstrated by his silence not only on Israel’s belligerence, but on the completely unacceptable and disgraceful language being used by his good friend in the White House,” the Congress leader added.
US President Donald Trump pulled back on his threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran late Tuesday, as the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump swerved to de-escalate the war less than two hours before the deadline he set for Tehran to capitulate to a deal or face attacks on its bridges and power plants meant to destroy the Iranian civilisation.
Trump made the dramatic announcement on Truth Social on Tuesday evening (US time) even as Democrats called for his removal over unhinged threats to wipe out the Iranian civilisation.
"Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz," the US President said in a social media post.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted the ceasefire and that it would negotiate with the United States in Pakistan beginning Friday. Neither Iran nor the United States said when the ceasefire would begin, and attacks took place in Israel, Iran and across the Gulf region early Wednesday.
Israel backed the US ceasefire with Iran but the deal doesn't cover fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday.
