Several journalist bodies have jointly written to the parliamentarians, placing before them a charter of their demands.
In the open letter, the National Alliance of Journalists, the Delhi Union of Journalists, the Kerala Union of Working Journalists and the Andhra Pradesh Working Journalists Federation have listed 14 demands.
They include a law to protect journalists from arbitrary arrests and malicious prosecution. The letter said a recent amendment to the IT Rules, 2021, gave not just the Press Information Bureau but also all Union government Ministries and departments the powers to demand that news they objected to be taken down by social media companies.
“We demand that these Rules aimed at censoring the small, independent digital media be withdrawn immediately. Other moves such as the reported inclusion of digital media in the draft Registration of Press and Periodicals Bill, 2022, to control news and views carried on digital media through any electronic device, must be reviewed,” it said.
The journalist bodies said the draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023, which was meant to replace the Cable Television Networks (Regulation Act), would affect not just streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video but also individuals putting news and current affairs online on platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp.
“These bills must be discussed in the public domain, through public hearings and consultations with all stakeholders including journalists’ organisations before being passed,” said the letter.
Other demands included an early setting up of a common Media Council for print, electronic and digital media, with representatives from the media, media unions and independent public persons; setting up of a Media Commission to study the entire media; putting responsible checks on cross-media ownership; and immediate steps to help the growth of national language news and feature agencies through a National Newspaper and Feature Agencies Development Corporation.
They also asked for repeal of the four Labour Codes and restoration of previous legislations; restoration of two working journalists Acts with a change to include broadcast and digital media; implementation of last wage board recommendations as per Supreme Court ruling; and a new board; besides a proper risk insurance cover for media workers and their equipment as well as a “decent” pension scheme.
The letter sought one-year package to United News of India; appropriate rules for a curb on Internet shutdowns; review of laws related to sedition and defamation, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, alleging that they were being misused to arrest and prosecute journalists; remunerations-related provisions for freelance journalists, stringers and consultants; and the release of all the journalists, academics, and activists “arrested arbitrarily”.
