According to Una DC, the media should “avoid reporting fake news.”

Today, Deputy Commissioner Jatin Lal said that the media was essential to both the development of a robust democracy and the effective application of the model code of conduct during elections. He was giving a talk on the role of the media in elections to a group of journalists.

According to Jatin, all media outlets need to make use of their existing infrastructure in order to inform, educate, and empower the public to exercise their right to vote. In order to provide an even playing field for all candidates running in the elections, he said, the media should abstain from promoting false information that supports or opposes any particular candidate or political party.
Ads must be certified in order to be published.

The Deputy Commissioner went into great detail about the function of the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC), which is in charge of monitoring paid, false, and fake news as well as surrogate and political advertisements. It also keeps track of the expenses that political parties or candidates incur for these kinds of ads.

Media professionals, according to Jatin, should make sure that candidates or political parties contacting them for publishing, telecasting, or broadcasting advertising have these verified by the MCMC. He also said that at least 48 hours before to their publishing or transmission, political parties must submit an application to the MCMC for the certification of their advertising.

He advised journalists to confirm information twice before publishing it since false information has the potential to sow discord in society. He also said that pre-certification of political ads was necessary for cable TV networks, movie theaters, e-papers, and LED display kiosks.