Why the special law to protect journalists in Maharashtra is flawed
7 years, 11 months ago

Why the special law to protect journalists in Maharashtra is flawed

Op India  

According to media reports, Maharashtra has become the first state in India to enact a law that aims to protect journalists and media organisations from violence. The biggest problem with journalists receiving special status as a professional group through a statute, is the fact that this professional group is almost entirely unaccountable to anyone, especially to the public. Solution is to make journalists accountable to public if they are going to be treated as a special professional group by the state. We need a law that makes journalists’ and media organisations’ actions accountable to the common reader.

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History of this topic

Journalist bodies terms clause 7(2) of U.P. government’s Digital Media Policy draconian, seek its withdrawal
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Journalist bodies terms clause 7(2) of U.P. government’s Digital Media Policy draconian, seek its withdrawal

The Hindu  

Journalist bodies on Friday sought from the Uttar Pradesh government an immediate withdrawal of clause 7 from its Digital Media Policy-2024, stating that the provision gave sweeping powers to the State government to declare any content, including legitimate journalistic works posted on social media, as “anti-social” or “anti-national”. However, Section 7 of the said policy states that legal action by …

The silence around the state’s seizure of India’s press
1 year, 5 months ago

The silence around the state’s seizure of India’s press

The Hindu  

Over 50 years ago, the Supreme Court of India ruled that during an Emergency proclamation, individuals could not challenge illegal detentions. Tanishka Sodhi’s data from NewsLaundry shows that by May 2023, 44 media entities and journalists faced scrutiny from investigative and tax agencies over the previous five years. The Karnataka High Court, in the Virendra Khanna vs State of Karnataka …

‘Media hunting may affect morale of journalists’
1 year, 9 months ago

‘Media hunting may affect morale of journalists’

The Hindu  

Journalist A. Sajeevan has said that repeated incidents of ‘media hunting’ in the State could adversely affect the morale of upcoming journalists and that even many already in the field may feel scared to take up issues against the government. “If reporting itself is a crime, how can we practise journalism?” he asked at a discussion on ‘Media emergency in …

Harassment against journalists in India has escalated: N. Ram
2 years, 5 months ago

Harassment against journalists in India has escalated: N. Ram

The Hindu  

The harassment against certain journalists in the country has escalated, and journalists from the Muslim community or those supporting the minorities are being targeted, N. Ram, Director of The Hindu Publishing Group, said here on Monday. During a panel discussion on ‘Legal Challenges Faced by Journalists in India’ in Asian College of Journalism at Taramani, moderated by Kunal Majumder, India’s …

Do We Need a Presumption of Malice in FIRs Against Journalists Critical of Govt?
3 years, 4 months ago

Do We Need a Presumption of Malice in FIRs Against Journalists Critical of Govt?

The Quint  

Every time a criminal case is slapped against a journalist for being critical of the government or a politician or for just questioning an official narrative, we enter a familiar routine. The opeds from the senior advocates and retired judges decrying misuse of the law, the retired police officers shaking their heads about what the police are doing. If no …

Unabating attacks on journalists
4 years, 4 months ago

Unabating attacks on journalists

The Hindu  

Isravel Moses, a 26-year-old television journalist who reported on illegal encroachment of land and sale of ganja, was hacked to death in Nallur village in Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu on November 8. A report released by an NGO last year states that 40 of the 198 journalists attacked in India between 2014 and 2019 died due to the attack. …

'Government Control On Media Like Putting Sledgehammer To Article 19(1)(a)': News Broadcasters Federation Tells Bombay HC In SSR Media Trial Case
4 years, 5 months ago

'Government Control On Media Like Putting Sledgehammer To Article 19(1)(a)': News Broadcasters Federation Tells Bombay HC In SSR Media Trial Case

Live Law  

The Bombay High Court saw noteworthy arguments and exchanges in the ongoing PILs filed against Media Trials, on account of media coverage, into the issue of death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.A bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni heard the matter for the entire day.Senior Advocate Siddharth Bhatnagar appeared on behalf of the National Broadcasters Federation …

Editors Guild condemns recent attacks on journalists in Delhi and Bengaluru, urges authorities to act
4 years, 7 months ago

Editors Guild condemns recent attacks on journalists in Delhi and Bengaluru, urges authorities to act

Firstpost  

The Bengaluru incident highlights law enforcement’s failure to maintain an environment where the media can function without fear, the guild said. New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India on Thursday termed as “reprehensible” the separate incidents of assault on journalists in Delhi and Bengaluru and demanded that police authorities must quickly take necessary steps to initiate action against the guilty …

Kashmir journalists accuse Indian police of muzzling press
5 years, 1 month ago

Kashmir journalists accuse Indian police of muzzling press

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — Journalists in disputed Kashmir urged the Indian government on Monday to allow them to report freely and expressed concern about alleged police harassment since the region’s semi-autonomy was rescinded in August amid an unprecedented lockdown. The Kashmir Press Club, an elected body of journalists in the region, said security agencies were using physical attacks, threats and summons …

In the time of #MeToo, judiciary must provide media houses adequate protection against defamation cases
6 years, 5 months ago

In the time of #MeToo, judiciary must provide media houses adequate protection against defamation cases

Firstpost  

#MeToo has taken India by storm. Media houses have been extremely instrumental in providing a platform for this movement, where the victims have been able to come forward, tell their story and be heard. Media houses or their journalists have no special protection under defamation laws in India despite stern attempts being made by the Editors Guild of India to …

India’s Disinformation War More Complex Than in West: Oxford Prof
6 years, 5 months ago

India’s Disinformation War More Complex Than in West: Oxford Prof

The Quint  

I think we’ve seen in the recent years, and I am sure we’ll see this in the 2019 general elections as well, that Indian journalism, at its best, is outstanding and has a clear commitment to finding truth and reporting it… there are instances in which Indian journalism has been under a lot of pressure from politicians in recent years, …

'Hatred for journalism threatens Democracy': Reporters Without Borders asks Indian govt to condemn and question abuse of journalists
6 years, 8 months ago

'Hatred for journalism threatens Democracy': Reporters Without Borders asks Indian govt to condemn and question abuse of journalists

Firstpost  

Reporters Without Borders expressed serious concern at “an alarming deterioration in the working environment of journalists in India” and demanded that the government ensure the safety of journalists who are feeling threatened. The Paris-based media watch group Reporters Without Borders has expressed serious concern at an “alarming deterioration in the working environment of journalists in India” and demanded that the …

Making India safe for journalists
7 years, 6 months ago

Making India safe for journalists

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh has reignited the debate on freedom of the press and the freedom of speech in the country, although the motives behind her killing are yet to be established. According to the not-for-profit organization, Committee to Protect Journalists, between 1992 and 2017, 28 journalists were murdered in a premeditated or spontaneous act in …

It is all too easy to shoot the messenger
7 years, 9 months ago

It is all too easy to shoot the messenger

Hindustan Times  

On May 30, Hindi journalism will celebrate its 188th birth anniversary. On this occasion, why shouldn’t one look at the entire language press in the country? The English media is relatively luckier than its vernacular counterparts because English is still the language of cities Newsmen are grappling with an unprecedented credibility crisis these days. One of the guru’s imbecile followers …

People slam Devenda Fadnavis for enacting special law to protect journalists
7 years, 11 months ago

People slam Devenda Fadnavis for enacting special law to protect journalists

Op India  

Maharashtra assembly has passed a special law that aims to protect journalists from violence. Here are some reactions we managed to compile: Maharashtra okays violence against non-media people and institutions: https://t.co/0HXEY9gHyJ | Idiots… — Jaideep A. Prabhu April 8, 2017 When Doctors got beaten up, MH CM Fadnavis didn’t bring special law to protect them. https://t.co/8KHe2j2NQN — iMac_too April 7, …

World is No More Safe For Journalists, Neither is India
8 years, 6 months ago

World is No More Safe For Journalists, Neither is India

News 18  

Jagendra Singh, a journalist from Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh was allegedly set ablaze by some local policemen and goons who raided his house on June 1, 2015. If the ministers and his goondas had any complaint against me, they could have beaten me instead of pouring kerosene and burning me.” A recent report released by an international media rights group – …

Reporting under duress: Journalists in India work amid increasing danger
8 years, 8 months ago

Reporting under duress: Journalists in India work amid increasing danger

Hindustan Times  

Two bullets hit Rajdeo Ranjan. Recently, on February 15, inside Delhi’s Patiala House court premises, journalists who had gone to cover the sedition case against JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar, were called “anti-national” and attacked by lawyers. The most recent defamation case was filed on June 3 this year, against the controversial Tamil bi-weekly newspaper Nakkeeran and its editor, …

Violence stalks journalists across India as perpetrators roam free
8 years, 8 months ago

Violence stalks journalists across India as perpetrators roam free

Hindustan Times  

Journalists across the country are increasingly facing threats and intimidation. Journalists took out a candle march a day after Hindustan journalist Rajdeo Ranjan’s murder in Siwan. It was for Rajdeo Ranjan, 42, a journalist with the Hindi daily Hindustan, who was shot dead at point blank by criminals at a busy market place in Siwan on Friday, May 13. In …

India’s Report Card on World Press Freedom Day: C Minus At Best
8 years, 10 months ago

India’s Report Card on World Press Freedom Day: C Minus At Best

The Quint  

According to the 2015 Special Report by the Press Council of India, among the 80 cases of journalist murders since 1990, only one case has successfully gone to trial, and justice has been delivered – the gangrape of a female journalist in an abandoned mill in Mumbai. Apart from the numbered killings of journalists, media workers and their families, there …

Killing journalists: India is not immune to this threat
9 years, 6 months ago

Killing journalists: India is not immune to this threat

Hindustan Times  

Two journalists were fatally shot by a disgruntled former colleague during an on-air report in Moneta, Virginia on Wednesday. Two WDBJ7 journalists, Alison Parker and Adam Ward, were shot dead during a live broadcast The sheer brutality of the attack has undoubtedly stunned everyone, particularly reporters who put it all on the line as they venture out in the field …

Avoid clash with us, media tells Maharashtra legislature
12 years ago

Avoid clash with us, media tells Maharashtra legislature

India TV News  

Mumbai, Mar 23: Apprehending the arrest of two senior Mumbai journalists for alleged breach of privilege of the Maharashtra legislature, media groups Friday warned this could be tantamount to an attack on the press. "There is speculation that the privileges committee is moving to arrest two persons. This will be treated as an attack on the privileges and rights of …

Indian media in a challenging environment
13 years, 8 months ago

Indian media in a challenging environment

The Hindu  

We have been witness in recent years to rapid, and unprecedented, changes in our society, economy, and polity. Increases in per capita income, discretionary spending capability, attractiveness of India as a market and as a destination of foreign investment, have all reinforced the centrality of the Indian mass media system. This is true of a nation's freedom and it applies …

Liberhan suggests setting up of tribunal or regulatory body to control press
15 years, 4 months ago

Liberhan suggests setting up of tribunal or regulatory body to control press

The Hindu  

The Liberhan Commission Action Taken Report has suggested that a tribunal or a regulatory body be formed to deal with complaints against the press and media and said journalists ought to be given licenses for practising their profession. “There is a dire need for a body on the lines of the Medical Council of India or the Bar Council of …

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