'Targeted Campaign' Against Newsclick is Unwarranted, Say Four Media Bodies

New Delhi: Four media bodies have issued a joint statement expressing deep concern over the targeted campaign against the news web portal NewsClick and its founders, adding that suggestions that it serves as a mouthpiece for a neighbouring country are "unwarranted and condemnable".

The news portal has been in the spotlight since a New York Times report claimed that it received funds from an American billionaire who mixes "progressive advocacy with Chinese government talking points”. It claimed that NewsClick "sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points”, citing a video that was titled 'China’s history continues to inspire the working classes'.

While Prabhir Purkayastha, NewsClick's owner, issued a statement denying "any insinuation that [NewsClick] function[s] as a mouth-piece of the Communist Party of China or other interests" is false, several BJP MPs have used it to slam the news portal, some independent journalists and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Nishikant Dubey claimed in parliament that the portal is part of an “anti-India gang, tukde tukde gang”.

On Wednesday, the Press Club of India, the Indian Women's Press Corps, the Delhi Union of Journalists and Press Association issued a statement condemning the "witch-hunt" against NewsClick. They said that media outlets which critically examine government actions are not "unpatriotic or a tool of any foreign nation".

"The portal features contributions from individuals of integrity and substance. Articles that offer critical yet appreciative perspectives on the policies of other countries should not be mistaken for advocacy on their behalf, nor should they be labelled as anti-national or seditious," they said.

If the sources of NewsClick's funding in under scrutiny, the same transparency should extend to supporters and backers of various other portals aligned with the establishment, the organisations said. "It is imperative for the interests of complete transparency that the sponsors and funding sources of all such portals be disclosed. Without such disclosure, the recent actions targeting [NewsClick] could rightly be characterized as a witch-hunt," the statement said.

Read the full statement below.

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We the undersigned organizations, express deep concern over the ongoing targeted campaign against the news web portal Newsclick and its founders. The recent accusations leveled by senior political figures, including some Members of Parliament, suggesting that the portal serves as a mouthpiece for a neighboring country are both unwarranted and condemnable. While Newsclick, like other media outlets, critically examines government actions, this does not render it unpatriotic or a tool of any foreign nation. The portal features contributions from individuals of integrity and substance. Articles that offer critical yet appreciative perspectives on the policies of other countries should not be mistaken for advocacy on their behalf, nor should they be labeled as anti-national or seditious.

If the sources of funding for Newsclick are under scrutiny, the same transparency should extend to supporters and backers of various other portals aligned with the establishment. It is imperative for the interests of complete transparency that the sponsors and funding sources of all such portals be disclosed. Without such disclosure, the recent actions targeting Newsclick could rightly be characterized as a witch-hunt.

Media organizations function within the confines of Indian law, and it is equally important for government agencies to adhere to these standards. A thriving democracy necessitates that media outlets, regardless of their affiliations, have the freedom to operate without government or corporate pressures. The vitality of a democracy is inextricably linked to an independent media.

Signed

Umakant Lakhera, president of Press Club of India
Shobana Jain, president of Indian Women's Press Corps
C.K. Nayak, president of Press Association
Sujata Madhok, president of Delhi Union of Journalists

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