Remove regulatory curbs on online news portals of newspapers
The cabinet on Monday approved a draft amendment to the National Online Media Policy 2017 with a provision that requires separate registration for the online news portals of newspapers, television channels and radio stations. A total of nine chapters of the policy have been overhauled while five new chapters have been incorporated, according to the cabinet secretary. It's the provision for the registration of online portals of newspapers that naturally worries us, and for good reason.
The registration requirement for online news sites has been in place since the publication of the National Broadcast Policy 2014 and was reiterated in the National Online Media Policy 2017. These policies require online media outlets to register with an independent Broadcast Commission which, unfortunately, has never been formed. Instead, "government-nominated agencies" now review applications and the process of verification has been marked by inordinate delays and controversies. In the initial list of news portals "allowed for initial registration" that was published on July 30, the names of many established and popular news sites did not appear. If this is a sign of things to come, newspapers and other news organisations with online outlets have reasons to worry.
Newspapers are already governed by several regulatory policies and mechanisms that also allow for their "declarations". The same regulations should apply to any digital outlets run by these organisations, and hence any requirement for re-registration is unnecessary. We acknowledge the need to regulate online media. But subjecting already registered organisations to a second layer of verification will lead to more red tape and consequently more impediments for the independent press, which will be unfortunate. Many of the newspapers and TV and radio stations have been operating for decades. If the purpose of registration is to verify their eligibility, that box is already ticked. If the purpose of registration is to establish the legality of their operation, they already have "declarations" approved by the government to make them legal.
We feel that the new provision serves no real purpose for established news organisations and should, therefore, be done away with. We also urge the government to expedite the process of verification for news portals now seeking registration and form the National Broadcast Commission, with the inclusion of civil society members, to handle the whole registration process.
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