Govt To Form Regulatory Body To Monitor News On Social Media, Online Content: Smriti Irani

Information and Broadcast Minister, Smriti Irani, said that the government is planning to form a regulatory body to monitor news on social media and online content.

Speaking at the News18 Rising India Summit, Smriti Irani said that the current regulation does not clearly state its stand on online content and news spread through social media and broadcast content material.

“We have Press Council of India for newspapers which is different from government, still self-regulatory enough to awaken its own conscience and take a decision that will bar such processes. Similarly, for television news, you have the News Broadcasters Association. I’m hopeful that such a similar body will also emerge for the social media at least in the news, opinion and entertainment content,” she said, reports Livemint.

Regulatory body to be autonomous

Smriti Irani said that she is already in conversation with the required stakeholders regarding the issue.

According to Irani, the recent consolidation of three media units under the Bureau of Outreach Communication was the need of the hour and doing away with such “silos” was the only option left, reported Livemint.

“Communication today has to be a 360-degree engagement. Given that this is the need of the hour, we did, yes, amalgamate and bring everything in terms of the government outreach and communication under the Bureau of communication. I think a first in Indian history,” she said.

According to the new structure, the Directorate of Film Publicity (DFP), Song and Drama Division (S&DD) and the Directorate of Audio Visual Publicity (DAVP) are supposed to be all together under Bureau of Outreach Communication (BOC).

“BOC—a framework designed to ensure Government’s engagement reaches every state and every district of the country; a reformative step in taking Government communication beyond National Capital,” Irani said.

Smriti Irani also said that there should be a specific set of rules and codes of conduct that they should abide by so that viewers do not get affected by the vested views in news and advertorial content.