Marking National Press Day, media leaders and government officials convened at the National Media Centre, New Delhi, to underscore the need to protect press credibility amid rising misinformation and expanding artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The theme of the year was ‘Safeguarding Press Credibility amidst Rising Misinformation.’
Press Council of India (PCI) chairperson Justice (retd.) Ranjana Prakash Desai stressed that technology cannot substitute human judgment. “AI can never replace the human mind – the judgement, conscience and sense of responsibility which guides every journalist,” she said. She reiterated the Council’s dual role of defending press freedom and upholding ethical standards, highlighting PCI mechanisms such as fact-finding teams, committees for monitoring standards, and welfare measures for working journalists and young interns.
Delivering the keynote address, news agency Press Trust of India CEO Vijay Joshi urged newsrooms to resist the pressure of speed. Let accuracy take over the speed in traditional media and AI-algorithm-led engagements in digital media, he said. He cautioned that paid news, advertorials and “yellow journalism” continue to erode credibility, while digital disruption and AI have blurred the lines between fact and falsehood. Journalism, he noted, remains “a public service built on trust,” and he emphasised that “press freedom is not a licence to pollute the information ecosystem.”
The event was attended by Union minister for information & broadcasting, railways, and electronics & information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister of state for information & broadcasting and parliamentary affairs L Murugan, secretary (I&B) Sanjay Jaju and PCI secretary Shubha Gupta.
