Roundup: Indian journalists oppose federal govt's guidelines to curb fake news

by Peerzada Arshad Hamid

NEW DELHI, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Indian journalists strongly oppose the federal government's move of amending the guidelines for accreditation of journalists to curb fake news in various mediums including print and electronic media.

The controversial new guidelines have sparked massive outrage and raised questions about who defines fake news.

On Monday, India's federal ministry of information and broadcasting said it has amended the guidelines for accreditation of journalists in wake of the "increasing instances of fake news in various mediums."

"Now on receiving any complaints of such instances of fake news, the same would get referred to the Press Council of India (PCI) if it pertains to print media and to News Broadcasters Association (NBA) if it relates to electronic media, for determination of the news item being fake or not," a statement issued by the ministry said.

According to the new rule, a journalist's accreditation will be suspended the moment there is a complaint of fake news.

"Once the complaint is registered for determination of fake news, the correspondent/journalist whoever created and/or propagated the fake news will, if accredited, have the accreditation suspended till such time the determination regarding the fake news is made by the regulating agencies mentioned above," reads the statement.

The journalists fear the controversial guidelines would be used to harass journalists.

Shekhar Gupta, a senior Indian journalist described the new rule as a "breathtaking assault on mainstream media."

"It's a moment like Rajiv Gandhi's anti-defamation bill. All media should bury their differences and resist this," Gupta wrote on twitter.

The journalists have raised questions over the new government order as to who will decide what is fake news and ask if government assumes the accredited journalists are spreading fake news.

"By doing so, the ministry is assuming that only accredited journalists spread fake news. What about non accredited journalists, editors, news portals etc? What action is proposed against them?" asked Akhilesh Sharma, another journalist.

As India touts itself as the world's largest democracy, the country figures at rank 136 on the World Press Freedom Index for 2017, released by Reporters Without Borders for 180 countries.

Analysts say India is becoming a "more dangerous place" to practice journalism.

"In the name of fighting fake news, the Narendra Modi government is laying a minefield for journalists and media houses that threatens what remains of the free press in India," writes Siddharth Varadarajan, the editor of news portal The Wire. Enditem