Public pressure may force curbs on paid news trend

The advent of paid news syndrome may build up a public pressure forcing the Centre to regulate the trend, a senior Goa government official said here today.
    
"Because of paid news tendency, there has been a dent in the credibility of the media. If this tendency continues, there may be public pressure forcing the government to regulate such kind of tendencies. If that happens it will be a 'Black Day'," acting chief secretary Narendra Kumar said.
    
Kumar, addressing International Press Freedom Day function, said political bosses were waiting gleefully to bring out such legislation. "Greater danger for the freedom of press is from within."
     
Stating that the paid news syndrome is being discussed on various forums including media circles, Kumar said that contract-oriented labour policies adopted by media houses have been encouraging such tendencies.
     
"Some time government will have to enact a legislation to ensure job security to journalists and editorial board," he said.
     
Kumar, who is also state information secretary, alleged that the marketing teams are dictating terms to editorial board setting in a wrong trend.
     
Earlier, Goa Union of Journalist (GUJ) president Prakash Kamat criticised the state government for not making public, the inquiry report into assault on a photojournalist, Soiru Komarpant, working for a local newspaper, a year back.