20 September 2019: The Indian Journalists Union has voiced serious concern over Jharkhand government’s bid to influence media reportage in its favour by inviting journalists to write about its welfare schemes and offering them money in return.

According to its affiliate, the Jharkhand Working Journalists Union, the BJP Government of Raghuvar Das has recently issued an advertisement in various newspapers by its I&PR Department inviting articles on its public welfare schemes, wherein 30 selected journalists, from both print and electronic media will be paid Rs 15,000 each and 25 of these articles will be part of a book to be published, for which journalists will be paid Rs 5,000 each as “samman rashi (honorarium)”. Not only does such appeasement of media have a direct impact on a democratic society, it is unethical, State journalists must see it as an insult and not fall into this trap of temptation, said JWJU.

In a statement, IJU Acting President Geetartha Pathak and Secretary General and IFJ Vice President Sabina Inderjit, condemned the action saying such open monetary allurement is unprecedented and goes against the very ethos of journalism. This they said is another case of ‘paid news,’ which not only undermines independent media but hoodwinks the citizens to influence them before the ensuing Assembly elections.

The Government must issue another advertisement immediately withdrawing the previous one and desist from such unethical practices, the IJU demanded. It also said that the Press Council of India must take suo moto notice and make the government answerable.