News portals call raids attempt to ‘stifle’ independent journalism

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 11

Online news portals Newslaundry and Newsclick on Saturday said they did their business with honesty and termed I-T surveys on their offices yesterday as an attempt to stifle independent journalism.

The I-T Department on Friday surveyed the offices of the news portals in south Delhi. “They took email dumps and various administrative and financial accounts related to Newsclick,” a statement from Newsclicksaid, adding, “These investigations are an attempt to stifle independent journalism.”

Dangerous trend, says Editors Guild

The Editors Guild on Saturday said I-T survey on the offices of online news portals was a “dangerous trend of government agencies”. It said the “harassment and intimidation of independent media must stop”. “The guild is deeply concerned that such indiscriminate seizure of journalists’ data, which could include sensitive information such as details of sources, stories under works and other journalistic data, is in violation of free speech and freedom of press,” a statement said.

Nothing to hide

We have nothing to hide and have done everything by the book. We haven’t breached any law. We conduct our business honestly and with integrity. — Abhinandan Sekhri, newslaundry Co-founder