Former SC Judge Calls on Journalists to Unite Against Restrictive Media Bills

Hyderabad, [Date] — Former Supreme Court judge B. Sudarshan Reddy has voiced concern over what he termed the “silence” of the journalistic community in response to Union government efforts to introduce new media regulations. Speaking at a national conclave organised by the Federation of Press Clubs, he urged journalists to mount a collective fight to safeguard their rights by enlisting wider societal support.

The discussion, themed ‘Protection of Journalists: The Need for Collectivisation to Protect Journalists from Coercion by the State’, was held in Hyderabad on Sunday. Justice Reddy cautioned that attempts to weaken existing protections for journalists were a matter of serious concern. He argued that constitutional guarantees alone, such as Article 19 of the Constitution which ensures freedom of speech and expression, are insufficient. A deeper understanding of the prevailing socio-economic and political environment is necessary to effectively protect press freedom, he stressed.

Justice Reddy attributed the growing vulnerabilities of journalists to neoliberal economic policies and internal divisions within the journalistic fraternity. He called for unity among journalists to resist coercion and to strengthen their collective bargaining power.

Hartosh Singh Bal, Executive Editor of The Caravan and a member of the committee that drafted the proposed Media Transparency (And Accountability) Bill, voiced alarm over the rising trend of contractual employment in journalism and the weakening of journalists’ unions. He emphasised the need for journalists to come together and resist attempts by media managements to undermine trade unions and workers’ rights.

K. Sreenivas Reddy, Chairman of the Telangana Media Academy, expressed concern over declining standards of news reporting. Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, President of the Press Club of India, moderated the discussion.

The conclave underlined the growing challenges faced by journalists in India, particularly in the context of proposed legislative changes that many in the profession view as potential threats to editorial independence.