By NewsGram Staff-Writer

New Delhi: The Union government is considering a proposal to set up a rapid media response cell to tackle half-baked and incorrect news stories aired on the TV news channels. The proposal is one of the many initiatives on which the government is working as part of its efforts to create a new and effective communication strategy.

According to a report in Economic Times, the proposal if implemented will allow the government to make a quick response whenever an incorrect information is broadcasted by a TV news channel. The government's response, aimed at refuting the false reports, would be in the form of a video which would be aired on the same TV channel that had aired an incorrect report. The response team will also make use of social media like Facebook and Twitter to publish the government's response to misinformation and misreporting.

The ET report quotes an official as saying: "Sometimes a rumor or a false story about the government's failure remains etched in public memory. The present system of sending rejoinders doesn't work as they are published only the next day and often never even considered by TV channels. With social media, the response team can ensure the clarifications and denials are suitably publicized on Facebook and Twitter."

Professionals will be hired who would continuously monitor various stories and reports published in the media and send a proper response to various media houses wherever such a response is deemed necessary. The new communication strategy has been accepted by a committee of secretaries of all ministries that had met on Monday.