Journalists Forum Assam (JFA) today demanded a media council to monitor both the print and electronic media.
The empowered media council, in the line of Press Council of India (PCI) which emerged in 1966, should work as a moral watchdog to ensure press, media freedom as well as quality journalism in the country, a JFA statement signed by its President Rupam Barua and General Secretary Nava Thakurai said here today.
The demand has been raised before National Press Day on November 16 as on this day, the Press Council of India started functioning as a moral watchdog.
"India today supports over 800 satellite channels, half of them are news based with thousands of FM and alternate media outlets. As the PCI has no authority over the electronic media, we would like to urge the centre for empowering the council and renaming it as Media Council of India," it said.
The Centre has already reconstituted the PCI for the next three year term though the name of the chairman is yet to be declared.
"If the PCI has to function under the present structure till the completion of the term, then the government should think about a separate council for the electronic media at the earliest," the statement said.
