Media bodies urge Centre to keep journalistic work outside the ambit of the DPDP Act

The Press Club of India (PCI), along with 21 other press bodies, has submitted a joint memorandum urging Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to keep the professional work of journalists outside the scope of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.

The memorandum has been endorsed by over 1,000 journalists and photojournalists from across the country, the PCI said on Wednesday (June 25, 2025).

Mr. Vaishnaw is the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting; Electronics and Information Technology; and Railways. The DPDP Bill was introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

“The concerns expressed in the memorandum were put together by the PCI after a close study of various definitions and provisions of the Act with legal and personal data experts. It was found that the Act comes directly against the journalists’ fundamental right to work granted by Article 19 (1) (a) and (g) of the Constitution,” the PCI’s statement said.

“In the memorandum, the 22 press bodies located in various States expressed deep concern at the Ministry bringing journalistic work under its ambit, even though it was kept out at the drafting stage of the Bill,” it said, adding that the memorandum was submitted through a senior official of the Press Information Bureau.

The memorandum is part of a signature campaign initiated by the PCI in May 2025 to urge the Ministry to bring about the crucial change in the Act, “so that it doesn’t hamper the work of reporters and photojournalists across print, online, and electronic media”, the statement said.