Every year on 16th November National Press Day is observed to commemorate a free and responsible press and to acknowledge and honour the Press Council of India. The Press Council of India (PCI)started functioning on this day .
The PCI keeps a check on the media activities and ensures that the press maintains high standards and the quality of reporting is well maintained and is not compromised in any circumstances, since the media is known as the fourth pillar of democracy .
The Press Council has commemorated the day since 1997 through seminars with relevant themes. The presence of the council in India is extremely significant as it was created to protect the fourth pillar of a democracy, which is the free press.
Democracy rests on four pillars and they are – the Legislature, Executive, Judiciary and the Media. Media , the 4th pillar of democracy plays an important role in keeping democracy intact and alive. Media acts as the connecting link between the Government and the people, since it provides information about the conditions and requirements of the people in the country. Media highlights and brings out the true and harsh realities of the world and helps the government to find solutions thereby strengthening the process of Democracy .
The PCI was formed in 1966 on 16 November. Since then the National Press Day of India is celebrated on November 16 every year to commemorate the establishment of the council.
According to the Press Council of India’s official website, The Press Council of India is a statutory quasi-judicial autonomous authority reestablished in the year 1979 under an Act of Parliament, Press Council Act, 1978 with the two fold objects of preserving the freedom of the press by maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers and the news agencies in India. It was first set up in 1966 under the Indian Press Council Act, 1965, on the recommendations of the first Press Commission with the identical twin objects. The 1965 Act was, however, repealed in 1975 and the Press Council was abolished during emergency. Thereafter, a new Act was enacted on the similar lines as the Act of 1965 and the Press Council was re-established under it in the year 1979.
The council is traditionally chaired by a retired Supreme Court Judge and 28 members out of which 20 are members of the media outlets operating in India. The other five members are nominated from the Houses of the Parliament and the remaining three represent cultural, legal and literary fields.
On National Press Day I extend my warm wishes to all mediapersons. It is a day of reaffirmation of our collective commitment to responsible journalism without fear or favour.
I look forward to media playing an increasingly constructive role in our democracy.#NationalPressDay2022 pic.twitter.com/plKKMFlzen— Anurag Thakur (मोदी का परिवार) (@ianuragthakur) November 16, 2022
