Editors guild drive against ‘paid news’

The Editors Guild of India will seek a pledge from all editors and senior journalists to act against any attempt to use advertising as news without proper disclosure, in a campaign against “paid news”.

The Editors Guild of India will seek a pledge from all editors and senior journalists to act against any attempt to use advertising as news without proper disclosure, in a campaign against “paid news”.

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In a statement on Friday, the guild said the issue of paid news was taken up at a recent general body meeting and the members felt that putting up advertising as news amounted to grave journalistic malpractice.

“It also threatened the foundations of the media, and of the journalist profession, by eroding public faith in the credibility and impartiality of news reporting,” the statement said.

As the first step in this direction, the guild issued a statement decrying the practice, which has allegedly damaged to journalistic credibility.

As a follow-up measure, the guild is writing to editors regarding an “Editorial Statement” that it expects every editor to endorse, and sign as a token of such endorsement.