The Press Club of India and 21 media bodies have submitted a joint memorandum to the Union Minister for Electronics and Information and Broadcasting, Ashwini Vaishnaw, urging the government to exclude the professional work of journalists from the ambit of the contentious Digital Personal Data Protection Act.
The memorandum, signed by more than 1,000 journalists and photojournalists across the country, argue that the Act, as it stands, poses a serious threat to press freedom by enabling state overreach into routine journalistic activities, including investigations, source protection, and the publication of data in the public interest.
The memorandum was formally submitted to the Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau, Dhirendra Ojha, on behalf of the media fraternity by PCI president Gautam Lahiri and secretary general Neeraj Thakur. They have requested an appointment with the minister to present their case directly and are awaiting a response.
“We submitted the memorandum yesterday through the PDG and sought an appointment with the minister for clarification,” said Lahiri. “The PDG confirmed the document has been sent to the minister’s office and assured us he will convey our request for a meeting. We hope the honourable minister will hear our arguments and clear the misgivings surrounding the inclusion of journalistic work under the Act.”
The PCI had launched a signature campaign in May 2025 to rally support against this provision in the DPDP Act. The joint memorandum is the culmination of that campaign, endorsed by a wide network of journalist organisations from across India, including the Indian Women’s Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists, Mumbai Press Club, Press Club of Kolkata, Kerala Union of Working Journalists, and many others from nearly every state and region.
A legal review conducted by PCI, with inputs from constitutional and data privacy experts, flagged multiple provisions in the DPDP Act that could conflict with journalists’ fundamental rights under Article 19(1)(a) and (g) of the Indian Constitution – the freedom of speech and expression, and the right to practice any profession.
Complaining about the media is easy. Why not do something to make it better? Support independent media and subscribe to Newslaundry today.
Newslaundry is a reader-supported, ad-free, independent news outlet based out of New Delhi. Support their journalism, here.
