Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 13 (IANS) The office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has dismissed as “baseless propaganda” the allegation that it is imposing restrictions on media freedom in the state, insisting that no such move has ever been made.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday, it said the clarification is in the backdrop of controversy over a confidential World Bank communication regarding the ‘Kera’ project being leaked to the press.
The government said it has ordered an inquiry to determine how a document of such highly confidential nature was leaked and published, stressing that such breaches can damage the state’s credibility with international financial institutions.
“This investigation is not an action against journalists, but a normal administrative process to identify lapses within official circles,” read the statement.
“If officials are found to have erred, it is our duty to investigate and hold them accountable,” added the statement.
The government condemned attempts to portray the probe as an anti-media measure, calling it deliberate misinformation.
“Creating an impression that journalists will be summoned as part of the fact-finding process is wrong,” it said, adding that Kerala’s political awareness and high media literacy ensure that false news rarely influences public opinion.
The statement accused certain media outlets of continuing “a pattern of false campaigns” against the state leadership, ministers, and political figures, even after misleading reports are disproved with evidence.
It, however, reiterated that suppression or intimidation of the press is not the state’s policy.
Referring to India’s troubled press history, including censorship during the Emergency, the government stressed that it opposes such measures and is committed to protecting the freedom and rights of the media “in every sense”.
At the same time, it vowed to expose those who deliberately spread fake news to mislead the public or harm the government’s reputation.
Maintaining good relations with the media is the state government’s stated approach, the statement said, but it warned that “malicious leaks aimed at damaging institutional trust” would not be tolerated.
The government condemned efforts to compare Kerala to regions where media freedom is genuinely under threat, calling such comparisons “unfortunate and unacceptable”.
“We repeat and reaffirm, no move against press freedom will be permitted in Kerala,” the statement concluded.
–IANS
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