After the Editors’ Guild of India voiced concern over Karnataka government’s proposed fact-checking unit, IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge clarified on Tuesday that the unit would not attempt to “impinge upon the freedom of the press” and would have an “apolitical stance.”
The Congress government had earlier cleared the formation of the fact-checking unit. The Guild had issued a statement on Sunday urging the government to “clearly specify the scope of and powers of the proposed fact-checking unit, as well as the governing mechanism under which it will operate”. The unit should not become a tool to “clamp down on voices of dissent,” it had warned.
In a message on social media platform X (earlier Twitter), Mr. Kharge said: “As acknowledged by the Editors’ Guild of India, the online realm faces a challenge of misinformation and fake news, necessitating the implementation of measures to address this issue. I wish to reassure the esteemed organiaation that our fact-check unit will uphold an apolitical stance, devoid of bias, and will transparently explain the methodologies employed to the public. We are in the process of establishing independent bodies that will be enlisted to assist us in combatting fake news and misinformation.”
He further said that the Government of Karnataka adheres to the ideologies of Basavanna and Babasaheb. “Rest assured, we will diligently follow the tenets of natural justice. Let it be clear that the establishment of this unit is in no way an attempt to impinge upon the freedom of the press,” he said.
