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Patna,(BiharTimes): With the assembly election in Bihar only three months away Election Commission of India has initiated a serious move to check insertion of ‘paid news’ in the print and electronic media.

Paid news is the latest challenge before the Indian democracy. It is worse than advertorial, which has some semblance of advertisement.

Here the money is given by political parties and candidates to newspapers and TV channels to publish news highlighting them and their achievements. In fact the news are even prepared by the candidate or the said party.

In the last five years this practice has acquired a dangerous proportion in India, especially in Bihar, where government is spending crores on highlighting its achievements––not just through advertisement and advertorials but also through and pure paid news.

The Election Commision has directed the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all the states to form a committee in each district to keep a watch on this practice.

The Election Commission consider the practice of getting advertorials published in the garb of news items on payment as a grave electoral malpractice.

A recent letter from the Election Commission to the CEOs said that “There has been a dialogue of stake holders with the Commission at different platforms and there is near unanimity (over the need) to take necessary steps to put an end to such a malpractice which puts undue influence on the free will of the voters, encourages the role of money power in a covert manner and disturbs level-playing field in elections.”

The EC letter further says that the practice of paid news has to be seen as an attempt to circumvent the provisions of Sections 77 and 123 (6) of the Representation of the People Act 1951, which prescribes accounting and ceiling of election expenses.

The EC letter said it is mandatory for the publisher of an election advertisement, pamphlet etc to print the name and address of the publisher as well as printer. Failure to do so attracts imprisonment of up to two years and/or fine of Rs 2,000.

The district committees will keep a tab on all the newspapers and watch all the TV channels highlighting the election-related news/features pertaining to their respective districts. In case there is disproportionate coverage to the speech/activities of a candidate, which is likely to influence voters and yield electoral benefit to that particular candidate, the candidate should be issued a notice by the district election officer to explain his/her stand, the letter said and added the Commission should be informed of all such cases in which parties/candidates are put on notice.

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