From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Indian Newspaper Society, the largest body of newspapers in India, on Tuesday warned that the proposed changes in the Information Technology Rules will seriously impact the functioning of the Press in India, imbuing the Press Information Bureau (PIB) with the power of the law.
“This can give rise to the mischief as it will allow the Centre to arm itself with powers to proscribe any criticism of its actions,” it said.
“By legislating to become a judge in its own cause, the government, through a proposed amendment to a set of rules which have otherwise also caused concern, is taking a step to effectively muzzle criticism and even fair comment,” the INS said.
Urging the government to drop the proposed amendment, it asked the Ministry of Electronics to initiate consultations with the stakeholders to create a mechanism that ensures the factual accuracy of reports about the government’s business on the media sites, meeting the highest standards of fairness and due process. “The PIB or an agency of the Central government is ill-equipped to play this role,” it added.
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