New Media Accreditation Rules Add to India Free Speech Worries
- Rules give government more flexibility in censorship powers
- India ranks 142 out of 180 nations on a press freedom index
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India has tightened rules for journalists by allowing government officials to deny accreditation based on public order and morality, adding to worries about falling free speech standards in the world’s largest democracy.
The new federal government guidelines, set out on the website of the Press Information Bureau, show that journalists can lose accreditation if their actions are “prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement of an offence.”