Er. Prabhat Kishore
Following persistent demands from the Indian Federation of Working Journalists, the then President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, announced the constitution of a ‘Newspaper Commission’ during his inaugural address to Parliament on May 16, 1952. Accordingly, on September 23, 1952, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India announced the names of the members of the ‘Press Commission.’ The Commission headed by Justice G.S. Rajadhyaksha, included ten other members: Dr. C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar, Acharya Narendra Dev, Jaipal Singh, T.N. Singh, A.R. Bhat, Dr. V.K.R.V. Rao, P.H. Patwardhan, M. Chalapathi Rao, J. Natarajan, and Dr. Zakir Hussain.
The terms of reference for the Press Commission were as follows:
(1) The control, management, ownership, and financial structure of all newspapers—both large and small—as well as periodicals and news agencies/distributors; (2) The operation of monopolies and newspaper chains, and their impact on the publication of factual news and unbiased views; (3) The impact of corporate ownership, advertising distribution, and other forms of external influence that affect the practice of healthy journalism in the country; (4) The methods of recruitment and training for working journalists, their working conditions, wage rates, retirement benefits, dispute resolution mechanisms, etc., insofar as they affect the maintenance of high standards within the profession; (5) Adequate supply and equitable distribution of newsprint among newspapers, as well as the feasibility of manufacturing newsprint, printing machinery, and mechanical typesetting equipment domestically; (6) Measures to maintain high standards of journalism and to facilitate liaison between the government and the press, including the functioning of Press Advisory Committees and associations of editors and working journalists; (7) Freedom of the press, and to repeal any legislative amendments which may have an adverse effect on the freedom of the press.
The First Press Commission submitted its report to the Government of India in 1954. This report, comprising a total of 1,294 pages, consisted of three parts. The first part, spanning 540 page, contains a detailed account of the inquiry into the newspaper industry. The second part presents the history of journalism, compiled on behalf of the Commission by Mr. J. Natarajan, Editor of “The Tribune”. The third part contains appendices. This report brought to light a grim picture of the monopolistic control of few business houses over the Indian press. Of the 330 daily newspapers, 29 papers—accounting for 31.2 percent of total circulation—were under the control of just five owners. Furthermore, 54 newspapers—representing 50.1 percent of total circulation—were concentrated under the control of merely 15 newspaper owners.
Key Recommendations : (1) To protect the freedom of the press and to maintain high standards of journalism, a Press Council should be established.
(2) To prepare the accounts of the press and the position of every year, there should be appointment of the Registrar of Newspaper for India (RNI).
(3) Price-page schedule : The price of newspapers and periodicals should be determined based on the number of pages. Advertisements should not occupy more than 40 percent of the total available space in a newspaper during any week.
(4) Working journalists must be guaranteed job security. Their working hours and wages should be standardized; adequate provisions for leave, service gratuities, and provident funds should be established, and they should be entitled to a share in the profits. For this purpose, a “Working Journalists Act” should be enacted, incorporating a provision for the appointment of a “Wage Board.”
(5) Ownership and Control of Newspapers: Since the operation of newspapers involves the public interest, it warrants a certain degree of regulation. The rights of ownership and management of newspapers should be distributed among a broad cross-section of the public in such a manner that no single individual can misuse them for personal gain. One approach to this could be to gradually transfer ownership stakes in the newspaper to its own employees. Another option is to entrust the management of the newspaper to a public trust, without divesting the original owners of their proprietary rights. A dividend—either four percent of the newspaper’s capital or one-and-a-half percent above the prevailing bank rate, whichever is higher—should be distributed.
The Press Commission also put forth recommendations regarding several other points, including: (1) Legal Controls; (2) Registration of Newspapers; (3) Objectionable Advertisements; (4) Newsprint; (5) News Agency Services, Telecommunication Tariffs, and Teleprinters; (6) Government and the Press; (7) Distribution of Advertisements and Advertising Rates; (8) Monopolies and Competition; (9) Editors (noting a significant decline in the status and independence of editors), Editorial Policy, and News Policy; (10) Dividends (Bonuses); (11) Public Holidays and Personal Leave; (12) Trade Unions; (13) Operational Procedures of Newspapers; (14) The Press and the Law; (15) The Newspapers (Incitement to Offences) Act; (16) Legislative Privileges and Defamation; (17) Sensationalist Journalism (noting that certain newspapers in the country deliberately and maliciously publish false reports)—exaggerating minor incidents out of proportion—which constitutes a breach of public decency; the proposed Press Council should act to curb such journalism; and (18) The preservation of bound volumes of all newspapers.
Implementation of the Recommendations:
(1) The Press Council of India was established in 1966 and later re-established in 1979 under the Press Council Act 1978. Its headquarters is located in Delhi, and it possesses no branches or state-level offices.
(2) A Registrar of Newspaper of India (RNI) was appointed in 1956, who publishes an annual report. His office is situated in Delhi.
(3) The ‘Working Journalists and Other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1955’ was enacted. Accordingly, efforts are underway to improve the service conditions of working journalists across the country. In cases where such efforts are not being undertaken, labour disputes are still ongoing.
(4) Legislation was enacted to determine the ‘floor price’ (minimum price) in 1956. However, the Government of India subsequently withdrew it after the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional.
(5) The issue of ownership remains in limbo even today. After due deliberation on the matter, the Second Press Commission has put forth certain recommendations.
Although numerous other recommendations made by the First Press Commission remain unimplemented, its report nonetheless holds great importance for the press. Fundamentally a fact-finding body, it has nonetheless performed extraordinary work for an industry that remains among the least organized sectors.
(The author is an engineer and academician. He studied Journalism and Mass Communication from Patna University, Patna. He can be reached at [email protected])
