New Delhi: The Digipub platform on Monday (March 3) has condemned the government’s claim that journalism does not serve a public purpose, calling it “deeply disturbing” and “antithetical to the foundation of a democracy”. Further, the platform urged the government to retract its position and not harass independent media outlets.
The controversy began when the Income Tax department revoked the non-profit status of The Reporters’ Collective, a Delhi-based investigative journalism outlet, and The File, a Kannada news website. The department alleged that these organisations failed to justify how their activities benefit the public.
As a result, The Reporters’ Collective, a publicly funded non-profit trust, will lose its tax-exempt status. Moreover, they could potentially be taxed retrospectively for the journalism the Income Tax department had previously approved as part of their charitable work.
Digipub argued that a similar claim could be used to financially target other independent news outlets that have produced reports critical of the government.
“While both outlets seek legal recourse, the government’s claim that journalism does not serve a public purpose is deeply disturbing and antithetical to the foundation of a democracy. Such a claim could be used to target other independent news outlets financially. If the government believes India is a democracy, not just one in name, it should retract this position,” the platform noted, in a statement.
Also read: IT Dept Revokes The Reporters’ Collective’s Non-Profit Status
Digipub’s concerns are heightened by India’s plummeting press freedom ranking, which has reached its lowest level ever. It urged the government to cease harassing independent media outlets, allowing them to continue serving the public through journalism. Further, it underlined that such outlets are essential, particularly when mainstream media has become increasingly aligned with the government.
“In a time when India’s ranking on the press freedom index has plunged to its lowest ever and large swathes of the mainstream media have become the government’s cheerleaders, independent media outlets are questioning the government of the day and its policies,” it noted.
It added: “Most of these outlets, which sustain themselves without government and commercial advertisement, are struggling financially. The government makes it difficult for them to survive by attacking them in myriad ways, legally and financially. It removes the last few spaces where the public can access critical coverage. Digipub calls on the government not to harass independent media outlets and let them serve the public through journalism.”
DIGIPUB Calls On The Government To Retract Its Claim That Journalism Does Not Serve A Public Purpose pic.twitter.com/jZie0EsfHB
— DIGIPUB News India Foundation (@DigipubIndia) March 3, 2025
India has been ranked 159 in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
