- Working Journalist Media Council has 200 news publishers.

New Delhi:

The government has cleared a Working Journalist Media Council-WJMC to look at grievances related to digital news content. The self-regulatory body called the WJMC has 200 news publishers.

WJMC Chairman Kumar Saurav told the “The organization will primarily look at grievances related to content on digital media platforms pertaining to current affairs that have not been addressed at the level of the platform.”

In an official order on April 20-2022, the union ministry of information and broadcasting said, “It is hereby informed that Working Journalist Media Council-WJMC has been registered as a self-regulatory body with the member publishers…WJMC shall perform functions laid down in the sub rules (4) and (5) of rule 12 for the purpose of redressing grievances related to the code of ethics under the rules. The body shall also ensure that the member publishers have agreed to adhere to the provisions of the rules, including furnishing the requisite information under rule 18.”

According to the order, the association will be led by Senior Journalist Kumar Saurav and have journalist Gunjan and Advocate Bineet Panday as Legal members.

Since May last year, the I&B ministry has approved nine self-regulatory bodies under rule 12 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. 

Rule 12 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, states that self-regulatory bodies will “oversee and ensure adherence by the publisher to the code of ethics; provide guidance to publishers on aspects of the code of ethics; address grievances which have not been resolved by publishers within 15 days; hear appeals filed by the complainant against the decision of publishers; issue such guidance or advisories to such publishers… for ensuring compliance to the code of ethics”.

In October, the government notified amendments to the IT Rules. Through these amendments, the government will now appoint a grievance appellate committee to adjudicate grievances related to intermediaries’ content moderation decisions. News laundry had earlier reported on several questions surrounding the changes.

For Regulating Publishers Can Fill Online Form: 

https://jmcouncil.in/srb_form.php