INTRODUCTION
 Paid news' syndrome is a menace and rooting it out is
essential for the health of democracy.
Paid news has assumed both corporate and political
dimensions.
Most commonly, the desired result is to drive
consumer behaviour with respect to a commercial
offering.

• The phenomenon of “paid news” goes beyond the
corruption of individual journalists and media
companies.
• It has become pervasive, structured and highly
organized.
• In the process, it is undermining democracy in
India.

DEFINITION OF PAID NEWS
• SCANDALOUS PHENOMENON IN INDIAN
MEDIA
• PAID NEWS PART OF TWO MAJOR
GROUPS
• PAID NEWS BY PRESS COUNCIL OF INDIA

THE RATE CARD
• Story of politics
15 times a day
• Rs 3 CR per year
at
Rs 3000 per
min……
• Live telecast of
CM’s speech
• Rs 48 lakhs per
year for
4 broadnews

There are two types of PAID
NEWS……..

History is the Evidence….

• Sudden mysterious death of Lal Bahadur
Shastri.
• Sham Prasad Mukherjee and Dayal
Upadhaya were murder postmortem
reports were never made public.
• Death of Rajeev Dakshit by poison.

Earned vs. Paid Media
• First of all—what are paid and earned
media? The terms are commonly defined
as:

PAID MEDIA
• Advertisements
• paying for media coverage,
• rewarding fans or followers who
share your content , or
• distributing press releases on paid
sites,

Earned MEDIA
• When someone distributes your
content on your behalf.
• social bookmarking sites like
Facebook,Twitter,Pinterest,Tumblr
,Reddit…as well as being featured in
publications (without having to pay for
the coverage, of course).

• seem like pretty clear descriptions of
two different types of media.
• not usually that cut and dry.
• social shares, which are considered
earned media
• it’s not as easy to classify the
campaign as entirely “earned.”

Blurring the lines between paid and
earned media
• not just a PR strategy anymore.
• Now it’s a marketing strategy .
• making something go viral, of course, has its own
challenges.
• Doing such outreach, of course, costs money, once
again blurring the lines between earned and paid
media.
.

• For marketers today, there’s no firm line in
the sand where paid media ends and
earned media takes. At the end of the day,
however your media is generated, it will, in
some way bear a cost to a brand

Reasons for paid news
• Autonomy of editors and journalists.
• Inadequate power.
• Inaction of government.
• No ways to distinguish paid news.

Continued…..
• Cross media ownership/
Corporatization of Media
What is it ?
 Relationship b/w corporates and media
houses.
No transparency in pin pointing the real
owners.

In 2012 RIL gives personal
loan of 1700 crores to
Raghav Bahl ‘s NETWORK
18.

PAID MEDIA UNDERMINIG
DEMOCRACY
•This malpractice has become widespread.
•These illegal operations become organized
advertising agencies and public relations
firms.
• Marketing member uses material of
journalists and executives gain access to
political personalities.

• So-called "rate cards" include "rates" for
publication of "news" items.
• Include "rates" for publication of "news"
items.
• Sections of the media in India become
participant and contribute to the growing use
of money power in politics.
• Tarnished the country's reputation.

INCIDENCES OF PAID NEWS
• Mr. Ashok Chavan
• Umlesh Yadav
• Gujarat Elections
• Zee news

Status
Status of Paid News Cases during General Election of Bihar-2010
SI No. Name of State/UT • No. of Paid News Cases
1. Bihar 15
Status of Paid News Cases during Assembly General Election in 2011
SI No. Name of State/UT No. of cases, in which
notices to the candidate
issued
No. of confirmed
cases of Paid
News
1. Kerala 65 65
2. Puducherry 3 3
3. Assam 42 27
4. West Bengal 15 8
5. Tamil Nadu* 11 22
Status of Paid News Cases during Assembly General Election in 2012
SI No. Name of State/UT No. of cases, in which
notices to the
candidate issued
No. of confirmed
cases of Paid News

1. Uttar Pradesh 97 97
2. Uttarakhand 60 30
3. Punjab* 339 523
4. Goa* 63 9
5. Manipur Nil Nil
6. Gujarat 495 414
7. Himachal Pradesh 190 104
*Certain cases are still in process. Some are getting modified.

EFFECTS OF PAID NEWS
NEWS
CAN
ABUSE !!!

EFFECTS OF PAID NEWS
ON COMMON PEOPLE
Misleads the world’s largest democracy
Loss of trust on government and media
Brings conflicts among different societies

EFFECTS OF PAID NEWS
ON INDIAN ECONOMY AND ELECTIONS
Large sum of money wasted in investments
Used to defame opposing parties
Privilege given to elite classes

MEASURES TO TACKLE THE MENACE
OF “PAID NEWS”
•Efficacy of Self regulation
Good option to check paid news.
But offers partial solutions.
Offenders refuse to abide by voluntary codes of
conduct.
Media takes leverage under freedom of expression.

• Role of Press Council of India (PCI)
Major recommendations made by PCI are:
Paid news as punishable electoral malpractice.
PCI should be empowered to adjudicate
complaints.
Press Council Act to make recommendations
binding.
PCI should be reconstituted.

• Regulation of advertisements by DAVP
 Stakeholders alleged that the Government uses
advertisements to arm-twist media houses for
favorable coverage.
 Transparent and Unbiased Policy.
• Complaint Redressal Mechanism
 Lack of systematic compliant redressal mechanism.
 Ombudsman in media houses to serve first tier of
redressal.
 Mechanism should be simple and time bound.

• Introduction of International Media
 Indian media crowded by family(individual).
 Increasing competition with entry of global players.
 Independent , well funded competitor.
• Strengthen the Govt owned Incumbent
 BSNL, MTNL determined the price points.
 Prasar Bharti (Doordarshan).

• Transparency regarding Revenue/Assets of
Media Houses and Right to Information Act ,
2005
 Disclosure of source of income
 Transparency in media
• Awareness/Education
 Educating masses
 Creating awareness