PRESS CLUB OF INDIA AND PRESS ASSOCIATION DEMAND LIFTING OF BLOCKADE OF TWO YOU TUBE NEWS OUTLETS
The Press Club of India and Press Association has condemned the action of the Information and Broadcasting ministry to block the two YouTube Hindi news outlets amounting to censorship on media and attack on the freedom of the press, especially when the general elections are few weeks away.
In a press statement issued in New Delhi the president of the Press Cub of India Gautam Lahiri, president of Press Association Chandrakant Nayak and secretary general Neeraj Thakur have demanded immediate lifting of the blockade asking the union Information and Broadcasting ministry led by Anurag Thakur to disclose reasons behind the draconian action to block these two YouTube news outlets.
According to the press statement on April 3, Hindi channel ” BOLTA HINDUSTAN” with over three lakh subscribers was taken offline by You Tube at the direction of the government followed by blockade of another Hindi Channel “National Dastak” with 94.2 lakh Subscribers.
In the emails sent to the blocked Channels it was revealed that the sections 69 A of the Information Technology Act 2000 and Rule 15(2) of the Information Technology ( Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media ethics Code) Rule 2021 were invoked while taking the action blocking these You Tube media outlets.
Not only this but according to news reports on April 13 YOUTUBE Channels run by the two independent journalists Meghnad and Sonit Mishra received notices for hosting videos pertaining to Electronic Voting Machines and Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails ( VVPATs).
While expressing their serious concerns over these actions amounting to stifling the voice of the free media and freedom of speech and expression, the Press statement says that these two journalists were merely addressing various concerns surrounding EVMs and VVPAT issues, issuing notices to the government highlighting their concerns. Similarly earlier the X handles of some journalist reporting in farmers issues have been blocked remaining inaccessible for over two months added the PCI and PA statement.
The journalist leaders while expressing their serious concern over these unacceptable actions amounting to stifling the free voice of the press said that such opaque directions and orders issued by various departments of the government to take down or block content without giving opportunity to the affected parties to defend themselves tantamount to censorship on free media.
