Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday held a meeting with members of the Digital News Publishers Association...
Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday held a meeting with members of the Digital News Publishers Association amid criticism for not consulting stakeholders before bringing in the new Information Technology rules.
According to a statement from the I&B ministry, representatives from India Today, Dainik Bhaskar, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Times of India, ABP, Eenadu, Dainik Jagran, and Lokmat were among those who attended the meeting. Independent digital news organisations like The Wire and The News Minute, who have challenged the rules to regulate digital news before the Delhi High Court, were not invited for the discussion.
The statement said the traditional media organisations “welcomed” the new rules. In a tweet, Javadekar also reiterated the same, adding that the industry representatives offered him few suggestions too.
The minister said the new guidelines placed certain responsibilities on digital news publishers, including adherence to Code of Ethics such as the norms of journalistic conduct framed by the Press Council of India and the Programme Code under the Cable Television Network Act.
Representatives of media organisations present at the meeting, however, informed him that they already follow the regulatory protocol issued by the Press Council Act and the Cable Television Network Act for “a very long time”. According to the statement, “they felt that they should be treated differently than those news publishers who are only on...
