Joint Secretary, Power & National Level Master Trainer, Sara S. Jamir presenting the powerpoint presentation on Media Certification and Monitoring Committee in view of General Election to Lok Sabha, 2019 at Hotel Japfu Kohima on February 28. (DIPR Photo)
Kohima, February 28 (MExN): A one-day state level awareness workshop on EVM/VVPAT, media certification and monitoring committee/media matters with media official in view of General Election to Lok Sabha, 2019 organized by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer was held at Tapi Hall, Hotel Japfu Kohima on February 28 with the media personnel.
Chief Electoral Officer, Nagaland, Abhijit Sinha, IAS in his address said that media has an important role in election management and essential in the conduct of elections. He also briefed about the menace of paid news and to be awareness of such news, reported DIPR news.
Joint Secretary, Power & National Level Master Trainer, Sara S. Jamir, in her power-point presentation on paid news said that money used through media in elections has assumed alarming proportion and a major junk of media malfunction in recent times as a serious electoral malpractice. She said paid news is still not made an electoral offense by law but has been causing concern to the Election Commission in conducting free and fair election. This paid news misleads the public and hamper their ability to form correct opinions and caused undue influence on voters and also affect their Right to Information.
Sara S. Jamir also said that paid news can be checked by making paid news as an electoral offence through amendment of RP Act Act, 1951, use expenditure ceiling mechanism to curb this menace, partner with stakeholders, including political parties and media to fight this threat against democracy and sensitize people on the ill effects of paid news as a menace to the conduct of free and fair election.
She said that the Paid News Monitoring Mechanism are Constitution of Media Certification & Monitoring Committee (MCMC), obtaining rate card, sensitization of media and trainings and organising media and political party workshops.
The Commission has issued the Media Certification & Monitoring Committee at district and State Level whose major three functions are pre-certification of political advertisements on electronic media including social media, monitoring and action on paid news cases and monitoring the media violation cases during election process, Sara S Jamir added.
The media has been among the most powerful ally of the Election Commission of India, the most eager supporter of the Commission’s constitutional function and the Commission’s strength and an ally in election management and essential in the conduct of the elections. She said that there are 2 major aspects of engagement with media during elections i.e. facilitation and regulation of media which are important in election management as absence of positive communication with media can create difficulties in conduct of elections, therefore the CEOs need to have regular interaction with media almost on daily basis during election and maintaining a line of positive communication with media, and also create an efficient structure for Information dissemination to media. She added that the media is considered extremely essential to a democracy as a healthy democracy cannot exist without a free and responsible media.
Assistant Chief Electoral Officer & National Level Master Trainer, R. Mhathung also demonstrated and briefed the media on EVM/VVPAT Administrative Procedures and hands on.
from The Morung Express
via The Morung Express
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