Corruption in Media Industry - Addl Inputs

Below are the key issues, root causes, and solutions as identified by you on the subject of Corruption in Media.

We will soon be compiling a whitepaper on the subject to be shared with the relevant stakeholders who can help make Media industry more transparent and accountable.

If you have any additional inputs, please share.

Transparency International India

Corruption in Media - Solutions

1. The I&B Ministry should bring in stricter laws for Code of Conducts & Ethics and ensure their implementation strictly
2. A standard ‘code of conduct’ should be established and the media houses should be asked to follow it
3. Paid news should be brought under strict scrutiny
4. Media houses should be neutral and should not favour any political party
5. Offering cash/gifts to journalists to get coverage should be made a punishable act under law
6. Lobbying by media personalities should not be encouraged
7. The working of PR companies should be bought under the scanner
8. Politicians and businessmen should not be allowed to hold a majority stake in media companies
9. The ownership details of media houses should be made public
10. Media house should also be asked to publish quarterly audited results just like other companies
11. No Government Ads should be given to the law breakers followed by heavy financial penalty
12. Repeat offenders should be penalized and their licenses should be cancelled.

Corruption in Media Industry - Root Causes

1. Most media houses are profits driven
2. Many journalists want to make quick money on the side
3. Honest journalist succumb to the pressure from their management
4. PR companies charge a huge amount from a client and pass on a small token to the journalists for favours/coverage
5. All PR firms want their news to be picked up first
6. News channels have a huge following and can make or break a company’s reputation
7. News channel bosses also have the power to show or not show news. They hence accept ‘off the record’ favours from clients
8. Most media houses/news channels have politicians and industrialists as investors
9. Media personalities misuse their reach lobby for their own personal gain
10. There is an absence of ethics, code of conduct and standard practices for media
11. Media houses try to formulate their own rules and regulations to maximize revenues with minimum effort
12. Commercial interests most times push unbiased editorial on the side for revenue gains and end up compromising on content.

Corruption in Media Industry - Key Issues

1. Most PR companies give gifts to most journalists or pay them for the coverage of their clients
2. Media takes stands with political parties as they want to benefit from the same
3. News channels are paid not to cover and report certain items
4. Journalists blackmail businesses/individuals and demand money on the pretext of publishing negative news about them
5. Some news channel bosses accept Land, Flat, Approvals in exchange of news stories (published or blocked) etc.
6. Some news channels play the role of political party agents to bombard viewers with stories designed to help the party
7. Many media personalities lobby for politicians and businessmen
8. Some times media houses collude to keep the Government in check
9. Most time good social initiatives do not get coverage from media as they are busy covering paid news
10. In many regional news papers, by paying one can get any page/any column desired for article/news. more