Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw has put his weight behind the fight of traditional content creators, especially news, with the digital platforms or Big Tech for proper compensation of usage of content.

The shift from traditional to digital media has financially impacted conventional media, which invests heavily in journalistic integrity and editorial processes, Vaishnaw said on Saturday, highlighting the need for fair compensation for traditional content creators.

 Addressing the asymmetry in bargaining power between digital platforms and conventional media, Vaishnaw in his keynote address on National Press Day on Saturday said, “The efforts made by the conventional media in creating content needs to be fairly and suitably compensated.”

He, according to an official statement from MIB, highlighted India’s vibrant and diverse media ecosystem, which includes 35,000 registered newspapers, hundreds of news channels, and a robust digital infrastructure.

The Minister noted that investments in 4G and 5G networks have propelled India to the forefront of digital connectivity with the lowest data prices globally.

However, he pointed to four key challenges the Indian society was facing due to the changing landscape of media and press, which included fake news and its dissemination; impact of AI on IP and the fair compensation for content creators, especially those dabbling in news content.

The spread of fake news undermines trust in the media and poses a threat to democracy, Vaishnaw observed, raising a critical question on the rapid growth of digital media and the responsibility for the content published on these platforms. The concept of Safe Harbour, developed in the 1990s when the availability of digital media was limited to select users in universities and research institutes, provided immunity to platforms from being held accountable for user-generated content.

He mentioned that globally, debates are intensifying over whether the Safe Harbour provisions are still appropriate “Shouldn’t platforms operating in a context as complex as India adopt a different set of responsibilities? These pressing questions underline the need for a new framework that ensures accountability and safeguards the social fabric of the nation.”, he added.

Dwelling on algorithms driving digital platforms’ prioritization of content that maximizes engagement, even while inciting strong reactions that define the revenue for the platforms, the Minister called on platforms to come up with solutions that account for the “impact their systems have on our society”.

On impact of AI on intellectual property rights (IPR), Vaishnaw highlighted the significant upheaval the creative world is facing due to advancements in artificial intelligence. He emphasized the need to safeguard the intellectual property (IP) rights of original creators.

Others who also spoke on the National Press Day event, organised by the Press Council of India in New Delhi, included Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Dr. L. Murugan, MIB Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Press Council of India chairperson Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (retd.) and veteran journalist Kundan Ramanlal Vyas.