The Editors Guild of India has expressed concerns over the draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023, saying it would lead to an overarching censorship framework for broadcasting services, including news broadcasting. The Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry had on November 11, 2023, published the draft Bill that seeks to regulate OTT platforms, news portals, and YouTube journalists. The ministry had invited comments till Monday. Writing to Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur on December 7, the guild said many of the provisions of the draft Bill were “vague and excessively intrusive”. The letter, which the guild posted on X on Monday, said it was concerned that the Bill would have an adverse impact on freedom of speech and freedom of the press. “The draft outlines an overbearing system of self-regulation by mandating creation of content evaluation committees in ways that can allow the government to exercise a great degree of control on these bodies. The draft further allows the Union Government to monitor and block content by establishing a Broadcast Advisory Council, to be headed by a bureaucrat, and therefore create an overarching censorship framework,” the guild said. It said the draft Bill would allow the government to regulate and prohibit channels or programmes for vague reasons. The guild asked the minister to put the draft in abeyance and hold meaningful consultations with all stakeholders. According to the draft Bill, streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+Hotstar, and other broadcasting services or OTT platforms would be covered under regulations. However, it would also treat anyone broadcasting news and current affairs on YouTube or other platforms the same as OTT platforms. The ministry has said that the draft Bill is meant to address the changing needs of the sector, however, the draft has raised concerns among broadcasters and legal experts over its potential to censor online content.
