The DIPR is also the nodal department for all govt. advertisements. The Department is supposed to regulate all official advertisements emanating from the various govt. Departments as stated in the Govt. Advertisement Policy and Rules (Nagaland) 1980. As per this Rules, all advertisements from all the govt. departments are required to be routed through the DIPR who maintains the list of registered newspapers and periodicals that fulfils the criteria required to be eligible for receipt of such advertisements. It is the duty of DIPR to see that all eligible newspapers receive equitable share of govt. advertisements irrespective of their sizes/circulation (this is as per the directives of the Press Council of India).

The department may blacklist a paper for reasons like publication of anti-national, anti-social, communal news and articles etc, which will debar that paper from receiving govt. advertisements, and its employees from receiving accreditation. These instruments are necessary to exert pressure on the papers and the journalists to maintain a certain code of conduct even though the press is supposed to be free and independent.