India Withdraws Order to Punish Journalists Over ‘Fake News’


India Withdraws Order to Punish Journalists Over ‘Fake News’

Critics say order was an attempt to curb media freedom in the run-up to elections next year

By Anant Vijay Kala and Rajesh Roy April 3, 2018 10:02 a.m. ET

NEW DELHI—India withdrew plans on Tuesday to punish journalists judged to be promoting “fake news” after widespread criticism that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government was trying to muzzle the press.

New Delhi had issued an order late Monday that would have allowed the suspension of government-issued press credentials for journalists found to be reporting fake news. The order didn’t define fake news, but said media regulators would be in charge of investigating any complaints.

The withdrawal of the order Tuesday came at the request of Mr. Modi who decided any matters related to the media should first be reviewed by the appropriate bodies such as the Press Council of India, said a government official.

The council, a watchdog for the print media, is usually headed by a retired Supreme Court judge and has more than two dozen other members, including journalists and lawmakers.

Under the original order, those found guilty of reporting fake news would have lost their accreditation for six months after the first violation. If there were a second violation, the journalists would lose their accreditation for a year and a third violation would mean they permanently lose it.

Government press passes allow reporters access to ministries and government news conferences.

Journalists and opposition politicians said the order was an attempt to curb media freedom in the run-up to national elections next year. Opposition party leaders say Mr. Modi’s administration is undermining democratic institutions.

“This is a major offensive against the freedom of press,” said Pradip Kumar Datta, a professor of politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

Mr. Datta said any allegations of fake news should be examined by independent bodies consisting of journalists, academics and members of the judiciary who are politically independent. Failing to define fake news also opened up the possibility of unfair probes and harassment, he said.

Some in Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party and his supporters on social media said there is a need for more media control as some journalists are unfair to and biased against Mr. Modi.

India has long been known for its boisterous free press. Some media watchers worry that the national debate is getting doused by increasingly aggressive nationalist and conservative voices, including from Mr. Modi’s right-wing party. A growing number of attacks on journalists has some observers concerned that liberal voices are getting silenced. Three journalists have been killed in India so far this year, according to watchdog Reporters Without Borders.

India fell three places to 136th position among 180 countries in last year’s World Press Freedom Index that the watchdog releases. Self-censorship is growing in the country’s media, the watchdog said.

Gautam Lahiri, president of the Press Club of India, said New Delhi is trying to create more tools to ensure journalists tow the government’s line.

“In India, never has the government interfered to control the media in this way,” he said.

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