Editors Guild Seeks Rahul Gandhi's Support To Raise 'Press Freedom' Issue In Parliament

• By Thetripurapost Desk, Delhi
• Jul 20, 2024
• 214

The Editors Guild of India has sought Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's support in raising the issues of press freedom and right to information in Parliament and claimed the government has taken several legislative steps to control and regulate the media.

In a letter to Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, the Guild expressed concern over what it claimed were legislative steps taken in the last few years to regulate print, broadcast and digital media and called for fresh discussions and consultations on these.

The Guild also expressed concern about the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, the Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill, the Press and Journals Registration Act and its amendments in the IT Rules 2021 and 2023.

"We believe that a free and fair press is vital to our democracy and that legislative measures should be reconsidered to protect these fundamental principles," the Guild said.

The Guild said the general concern about these legislative measures is that they have been taken without adequate consultation with stakeholders and without a process of parliamentary scrutiny in drafting and passing these laws.

"They contain vague and overbroad provisions that could be misused to restrict legitimate journalistic activities. These provisions give government officials and agencies broad powers to take actions that could potentially have a negative impact on journalism and press freedom due to increased government control and punitive measures," the Guild said.

The Guild said security standards are not adequate to safeguard freedom of the press and freedom of expression