Wednesday, November 16 2005 16:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Acknowledging the role played by media in the development of the country, Government today (Nov 16, 2005) said time had come for the press to adopt self-regulation so that it did not infringe upon the freedom of others and its credibility was not questioned.

At a seminar organised by the Press Council of India to mark 'National Press Day', Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Law Minister H R Bhardwaj and Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy said Government did not want to impose any restrictions on the fourth estate as the freedom enjoyed by it was beneficial for the country.

"All institutions, whether judiciary or the press, which work against tyranny, have to be independent. There can be no fetters imposed on the press," Bhardwaj said speaking on 'Media Ethics: Fetters or Freedom'.

But he added that the time had come for the media to formulate some guidelines for itself in the best interest of society and in accordance with Indian ethos.

"Sometimes I am disappointed when distortion takes place (in the media) to the detriment of a person or institution," the Law Minister said.

Supporting his view, Patil said, "more stringent laws are not required. Let the media itself decide (on guidelines). But freedom cannot be absolute or unlimited, it must not infringe on other's problems".

The Home Minister said the media had played its role 'very well' in the development of the nation, "but we have to find out whether there is scope for improvement".