The National Alliance of Journalists (NAJ) and the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ), in a joint statement today, have termed as ‘ominous’ and reflective of an attempted permanent state of Emergency, the increasing curbs on independent journalism and particularly the wide spectrum digital news media.
In a joint statement today, on the opening day of Parliament, the President of the NAJ Mr. S.K.Pande, General Secretary DUJ Sujata Madhok , Secretary General National Alliance of Journalists Mr. N. Kondaiah and the General Secretary of APWJF, G. Anjaneyulu , called upon Members of Parliament, to ensure that draconian laws proposed to control the digital media are not passed. There are reports that the Information and Broadcasting Ministry plans to introduce the Registration of Press and Periodicals Bill, 2022 to include controls on news and views carried on digital media through any electronic device. It noted that similar attempts had been made to impose controls under the Information and Technology Rules in 2019. The digital news media has in recent years emerged as a relatively independent media that carries a refreshing diversity of voices and opinions, unlike the mainstream press and television media.
The signatories also condemned the blatantly targeted witchhunting of journalist Mohd. Zubair, with charges clamped in various states to ensure that he remains in jail, along with the targeting of Teesta Setalvad besides the incarceration of Siddique Kappan and several other journalists. They called for a special law to protect journalists and others from arbitrary arrest for their reporting and comments on social media. They urged curbs on hate speech and other threats to the secular, democratic fabric of the country.
They regretted that this year, which marks the 200th anniversary of Urdu Journalicountry seen a severe threat to the survival of both Urdu Journalism and a literary language that added a spark to the freedom struggle. They noted with dismay the fact that premier national agencies like the UNI are being choked financially, leaving many retrenched, still to receive their legitimate dues and left in a state of near starvation.
The statement further criticized the Central anti-Labour Codes of bondage which demolish the Working Journalists Act and deny journalists and co-workers the right form and join trade unions of their choice. The Labour Codes put an end to the system of tripartite wage boards for the newspaper industry. Meanwhile even the Majithia Wage Board Award remains totally unimplemented with hundreds of cases pending in the courts.
The statement called for a Media Council of India to replace the Press Council of India and an autonomous Media Commission of experts to find answers to the mushrooming problems in the media industry. Such positive initiatives are required now, not government curbs on press freedom and the rights and privileges of journalists.
