Election Commission to discuss paid news at all-party meet today

New Delhi, Oct 4 (ANI): Amid concern over the alarming proportion of paid news in the Indian media and the growing use of money power in polls, the Election Commission will hold a day-long deliberations with all parties on Monday in a bid to eliminate electoral malpractices.

It has been reported that six national parties and over 50 recognised state political parties have been invited for the meeting.

The issue of criminalisation of politics and the use of electronic voting machines is also expected to be discussed in the meeting.

Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi and other two Election Commissioners V S Sampath and H S Brahma would hear the views of the leaders of political parties in order to address these issues.

The Election Commission would later hold separate consultations with the national parties and the state parties.

The Press Council of India (PCI) expressing concern over the paid news syndrome recently defined paid news as: "Any news or analysis appearing in any media (print and electronic) for a price in cash or kind as consideration."

The PCI has undertaken a study of the phenomenon of paid news during the Lok Sabha polls and assembly polls in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and has come out with a set of recommendations to stop such malpractices.(ANI)