First press commission inception

Answer 1

plss answer

FIRST PRESS COMMISSION

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The First Press Commission was appointed in September 1952 under the chairmanship of Justice G S Rajadhyaksha. The other 10 member included Dr C P Ramaswami IAiyar, Dr Zakir Hussain, Dr V K R V Rao, P H Patwardan, J Natarajan and Chalapathi Rau. The Commission which submitted its report in 1954, made several important recommendations which helped in constituting a number of institutions and organising the profesion of journalism in a systematic manner. It was the first enquiry of its kind into the working of the press and its report has been a kind of Bible about the press.

Some of the recommendations and observations of the First Press Commission are as follows:

1. A Press Council be established whose objects should be:

(a) to safeguard the freedom of the press and help the press to maintainits independence.

(b) to censure objectionable types of journalistic conduct and by all other possible means to build up a code in accordance with the highest professional standards.

(c) to keep under review any development likely to restrict the supply and dissemination of news of public interest and importance.

(d) to encourage the growth of a sense of responsibility and of public service among those engaged in the profession of journalism.

(e) to study the developments in the press which may tend towards concentration or monopoly, and if necessary, to suggest remedies.

(f) to publish reports, at least once a year, recording its work and reviewing the performance of the press, its development and factors affecting them and

(d) to improve methods of recruitment, education and training for the profession by the creation of suitable agencies for the purpose such as a Press Institute.

2. Decline in Editor's status

There has been a general decline in the status and independence of the editor and this decline is particularly noticeable in the case of daily newspapers. In the past it was quite usual for the majority of the readers to be both aware and conscious of the role played by the editor in the formulation of the views set out in the paper, and it was quite usual to refer to the paper not merely by its name but by the name of the editor. The position has changed today and we feel that the bulk of the newspaper readers today may be unaware of who is the editor of their newspaper and indifferent to the name that appears on small print on the last page.

3. The news agencies should not merely keep themselves from bias and follow strictly the principles of integrity, objectivity and comprehensiveness in its coverage of news, but it should also appear to the newspapers and to the public, that the news agencies are maintaining such as course.

4. While condemning the practice of giving astrological predictions the Commission said: The spread of the habit of consultation of, and reliance upon, astrological predictions, particularly of the nature and manner they are published at present is certain to produce an unsettling effect on the minds of readers. We would describe the practice of publishing such predictions as undesirable.

5. The Commission found that the emoluments received by the journalists were on the whole unsatisfactory and recommended the appointment of a Wage Board for working journalists.

6. The Commission recommended the appointment of Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI). As a result of this recommendation the office of RNI verifies and regulates the availability of newspapers, registers them, containing detailed information on newspaper. The office also issues entitlement certificates to the newspapers/ periodicals for the import of news print and printing machinery and allied materials required by newspapers.