Sir — Amid outrage, the Government withdrew a Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Press release from the previous day that said journalists spreading “fake” news would have their PIB accreditation cancelled. Actually, the term “fake news” is vague, and the fact that the journalists concerned would lose their accreditation even while the allegation was being probed, could have led to many motivated, mischievous complaints. Yet, the present decision of withdrawal has been the quickest in Indian history.
This is the second time the Modi Government has blinked on a media-related issue. The first was in November 2016 when the Ministry put on hold its order to shut down NDTV India for a day in the face of a strong and united opposition by the media. If there was one spin-off for the headlines-conscious-and-managing Government from the furore, it was the success it got in shifting the narrative from the Dalit anger over the dilution of the SC/ST-Prevention of Atrocities Act and the CBSE paper leak.