IWPC, Press Association come in support of PTI

The Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) and the Press Association on Sunday expressed "deep concern" over the threat by state broadcaster Prasar Bharati to unsubscribe the news feed of Press Trust of India (PTI), accusing it of "anti-national" reportage.

In a joint statement, the IWPC and Press Association said, "it is ironic that the government has chosen to crack down on a venerable institution like the PTI, hours after marking the 45th anniversary of the Emergency when the press was heavily censored."

The Prasar Bharati on Saturday wrote to PTI saying it was reviewing its relationship with PTI as it was "no longer tenable" to continue the "relationship".

The move came soon after PTI published an interview with Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong on Thursday, followed by another interview of Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri on Friday, indicating that the broadcaster is unhappy with the coverage.

In the statement, the IWPC and Press Association said that "the fact is PTI was only doing" its professional duty.

"At a time when the Chinese have intruded into Indian territory, it is the job of the journalist to ask the 'other side', in this case a representative of the Chinese government, why this is happening. The interview made all the news – in fact, the Chinese ambassador even conceded, for the first time, that there had been some casualties on the LAC," it said.

"By describing PTI's 'recent news coverage' as being detrimental to "national interest and undermining India's territorial integrity”, it seems the authorities have failed to appreciate the meaning of a free, objective and unbiased media which is the touchstone of a democracy," the statement said.

It said both the organisations stand with PTI and with all those who believe that a free press is an integral part, both of the Constitution as well as the idea of India