Editors Guild writes to Rahul Gandhi, seeks support in raising issues of press freedom in Parliament
New Delhi, Jul 20: The Editors Guild of India on Saturday sought Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's support in raising issues of press freedom and right to information in Parliament and claimed the government has taken several legislative steps to regulate and control the media.
In a letter to Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Guild expressed concerns on legislative measures taken to control the media -- print, broadcast and digital -- over the last few years and called for renewed debate and consultations.
The Guild also flagged concerns about the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, Broadcast Services Regulation Bill, Press and Registration of Periodicals Act and the IT Rules 2021 and subsequent amendments to it in 2023.
"We believe that a free and independent press is vital for the health of our democracy and it is imperative that these legislative measures are revisited to safeguard these fundamental principles," the Guild said.
It said a general concern about these legislative measures was that they were taken without adequate stakeholder consultation and parliamentary scrutiny in the drafting and passing of these laws.
"They carry provisions that are vague and overbroad, which could be misused to restrict legitimate journalistic activities. These provisions give sweeping powers to a wide array of government authorities and agencies to take actions that can have a potential chilling effect on journalism and press freedom due to increased government control and punitive measures," the Guild said.
The Guild said there were inadequate safeguards for press independence and freedom of expression.
EGI has written to leaders of opposition parties, expressing our concerns on legislative measures taken to control media- print, broadcast, and digital, over last few years, calling for renewed debate and consultations.
— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) July 20, 2024
Here is letter written to LOP in Lok Sabha @RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/u2bSCGsFlp
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
