Shrillness, paid news problems in media, says Arun Jaitley

The NDA government is looking to establish a top-notch media education institution to step up to future challenges in the face of rapidly changing media technologies, information and broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley said.

The NDA government is looking to establish a top-notch media education institution to step up to future challenges in the face of rapidly changing media technologies, information and broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley said.

Jaitley said in a highly competitive scenario, the “desire to be watched more” had lead to “shrillness”. “The other side of the picture is ignored,” Jaitley said, inaugurating national-level consultations by experts on the setting up of communications university. Organisations will maintain priorities, some could compromise, resulting in instances like “paid news”, which seem highly prevalent, particularly during elections, he added.

“Is there a way we can check it or the Broadcasting Complaints Council can check it. I have very serious doubts,” Jaitley said.

A decade-and-a-half ago, Jaitley said the Supreme Court in a judgement decided commercial speech is also free speech.

“So those, who market paid news might find this interpretation of the Supreme Court coming to their aid if the Broadcasting Complaints Council were to proceed against paid news because that is commercial speech,” he said.