Interactive Discussion on “Media: Regulation vs Self Regulation”

In association with the German Foundation Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, G.P.P.I. in December 2012 organised a roundtable discussion on “Media: Regulation vs Self Regulation”. Late Justice J.S. Verma, Former Chief Justice of India, and Head, National Broadcasting Standard Association and 18 Members of Indian Parliament had an in-depth discussion on the issue.

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion on the Indian media's credibility. The ongoing legal battle between the Zee Media and The Jindal Group, is one such example. This case, however, is only the tip of the iceberg. Other issues that have cropped up in recent times include instances of fabricated & manufactured stories, “paid news”, and credibility of sting operations.

In the recently concluded 9th Media Nation Summit in Philippines, president of the organizing foundation, Bart Guingona said: “Media is the watchdog of the government, but who watches the watchdog?”

In this regard, the session provided a platform to debate and discuss vital issues pertaining to the theme of “Media: Regulation vs Self Regulation”, which includes, but is not limited to questions such as: Has internal self regulation failed? Should there be a reasonable amount of media restriction and monitoring? What constitutes responsible reporting?