National Press Day: Time for PCI to not show teeth, but to bite, says Dhankhar

Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Anurag Thakur, Minister of State for I&B L Murugan, PCI chairperson Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (retired) were also present at the event. It was on November 16, 1966, that the PCI had started functioning.

Dhankhar pressed for the PCI to take action against those compromising professional ethics. “It is not the time to show teeth but a time to bite. And the bite must be strong because those who are serving with high ethical standards must be encouraged only by those not doing so being visited with exemplary consequences,” he said.

Dhankhar noted that the expression ‘fake news’ has never been heard so loudly before as it is these days. The role of editors, he noted, has become more challenging and important as they have to act as gatekeepers and remove any doctored and false information “before it poisons the sea of information”.

Dhankhar said that AI has the potential to streamline the news production process, enhance storytelling, and even personalise content to individual preferences, adding that “this is a double- edged weapon”. “It also brings its own set of challenges and ethical questions, such as the spread of misinformation at nuclear speed, deep fakes, creation of echo chambers and micro targeting of information to influence the democratic process and create chaos and instability in the societies,” he said.

During his address, Thakur cautioned the media that has entered the era of artificial intelligence along with many other professions. “We live in a world where misinformation can be amplified with the click of a button,” he added.

The Minister also mentioned the negative perception being created by certain western entities and said that even as we celebrate the freedom of the press, we cannot turn a blind eye to those who seek to undermine the spirit of our nation. “There are individuals and media outlets that consistently spread fake propaganda against Bharat, both domestically and internationally. It is our collective responsibility to challenge such narratives, expose the falsehoods, and ensure that truth prevails,” he said.

He added it was crucial to address the persistent misconceptions propagated by certain Western biases regarding the portrayal of Bharat and its media. He said the colonial hangover often skewed perceptions, but India’s media landscape is dynamic, reflective, and stands on its own merit. While appreciating the increasingly important role of artificial intelligence in gathering news and its dissemination, Thakur said it is crucial to ensure that AI models do not adopt biases from their training data.

G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said that it is essential to be aware of the harm that an unchecked AI usage in media might introduce into our democracy. “Curating personalised news with the aid of AI risks creating echo chambers in our society, limiting our exposure to diverse perspectives,” he remarked.