Guidelines for the press in the emergency of 1975 are listed below:
Guidelines
Declaration of the national emergency to meet the threat to the security and stability of India by internal disturbance will point to the need for extreme caution and circumspection in the handling and purveying of news and comments.
The press requires to be advised to guard against publication of unauthorised irresponsible or demoralising news items, conjectures and rumours and yet the press should be enabled to fulfill its obligation to the public. Once of the most powerful aids to the Government and the people in an emergency is the press.
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In the manner in which information is printed, published and disseminated there can be an accretion of enormous strength to those who are posing a threat to internal security.
In an emergency declared to meet an internal threat the concern of the government is mainly with the misguided a subversive element within the country which by their acts may try to prejudice peace and stability of the nation.
In a democratic country in which citizens are fully conscious of their duties and responsibilities to the nation, the aim of the government is not so much to rely in every case on the wide and extraordinary powers conferred on it, but as far as may be enlist the voluntary cooperation of all section of the population in maintaining an atmosphere conductive to the fulfillment of the primary task of ridding the nation of the cause of emergency.
General Guidance:
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1. Where news is plainly dangerous, newspapers will assist the chief press adviser by suppressing it themselves. Where doubts exit, a reference may and should be made to the nearest press adviser.
2. Where matter has been submitted for examination before publication the advice of the press adviser should be followed.
3. When guidance is being given advising against the publication of news or comments relating to a particular matter, no mention of or reference to that matter should be made without obtaining fresh clearance for moderation should always be observed and all sensationalism are avoided. This should be observed particularly in illustration of posters and headlines.
4. No publicity to be given for rumours.
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5. When any document or photography is officially issued care must be taking to retain the sense of the accompanying caption or description.
6. No reproduction of objectionable matter already published in any Indian or foreign newspaper.
7. No unauthorised news or advertisement or illustration to be published in regard to vital means of communication.
8. Nothing to be published about arrangements relating to the protection of transport or communications, supply and distribution of essential commodity, etc.
9. Nothing to be published which is likely to cause disaffection among the members of the armed force or public servants.
10. Nothing to be published which is likely to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India.
11. Nothing to be published which is likely to promote felling of enmity and hatred between different classes of person in India.
12. Nothing to be published which is likely to cause or produce or to instigate or incite, directly or indirectly, the cessation or slowing down of work in any place.
13. Nothing to be published which is likely to undermine the public confidence in the national credit or in any Govt. loan.
14. Nothing to be published to encourage or incite any person or class of person to refuse or defer payment of taxes.
15. Nothing to be published which is likely to instigate the use of criminal force against public servants.
16. A prejudicial report means any report, statement or visible report, whether true or false, which, or the publication of which is or is an incitement to the commission of any of the prejudicial acts mentioned above.
