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Writer's pictureDr Ashok Barthwal

Handy Reckoner for Working Journalist for Legal Issue


A legal guide for journalists entitled “CPJ- Trust Law Know Your Rights Legal Guide for Journalists in India” has been collectively launched by the representatives of various bodies of journalists at the Press Club of India in Delhi. It will be a handy reckoner for journalists with a working understanding of the rights, remedies, and protection measures that are available under the provisions of law and addresses questions like what are the rights of a journalist in India? How do journalists obtain redress when faced with criminal action? What does a journalist do in case of a SLAPP suit? How does a journalist obtain redress when faced with online abuse? and much more. protection measures that are available under Indian law and address questions like what are the rights of a journalist in India? How do journalists obtain redress when faced with criminal action? What does a journalist do in case of a SLAPP suit? How does a journalist obtain redress when faced with online abuse? and much more.


As per CPJ documentation, over 35 Indian journalists have been imprisoned, and 31 have been killed since 2010, thus demonstrating the increasing need for journalists to understand their legal rights. According to Joanita Britto Menon, TRF’s Legal Program Manager for Asia, protecting freedom of the press is crucial when misinformation is plaguing society. We need to develop more tools and resources that can be used to defend media freedom. The Know Your Rights Guide for Journalists in India by CPJ is a step in that direction. Thomson Reuters Foundation and Trust Law look forward to supporting more initiatives like this. Dignitaries like CPJ’s India Representative Kunal Majumder, Treasurer of IWPC Anju Grover, General Secretary of DIGIPUB Abhinandan Sekhri, and President of Press Club of India Umakant Lakhera grace the occasion.


The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF): The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, the global news and information services company. Registered in the UK and the USA, it works to advance media freedom, foster more inclusive economies, and promote human rights.

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