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Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Railways, and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday chaired the National Press Day celebrations at the National Media Centre virtually, a press release said.The event was also graced by the presence of Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Dr L. Murugan, Chairperson of the Press Council of India, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and veteran journalist, Kundan Ramanlal Vyas.According to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Vaishnaw while addressing the gathering virtually highlighted India's vibrant and diverse media ecosystem, which includes 35,000 registered newspapers, numerous news channels, and a robust digital infrastructure. The Minister noted that investments in 4G and 5G networks have propelled India to the forefront of digital connectivity with the lowest data prices globally.However,
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a PIL seeking directions to the Centre to ban the operation and use of WhatsApp if it does not comply with the orders of the authorities in the country. A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Aravind Kumar said it was not inclined to entertain the plea filed by Kerala resident Omanakuttan KG, a software engineer. Omanakuttan in his plea contended that the messaging platform had refused to comply with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The PIL alleged that WhatsApp was violating the fundamental rights of the citizens guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution and posing a potential threat to national interest and national security. "If the app was not willing to change its technology and did not cooperate with the government, it should not be allowed to operate in the country. The Centre had banned many websites and mobile apps for acting against the interest of the country," the
Vice Media is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the latest digital media company to falter after a meteoric rise. Vice said on Monday that it has agreed to sell its assets to a consortium of lenders Fortress Investment Group, Soros Fund Management and Monroe Capital in exchange for USD 225 million in credit. Other parties will also be able to submit bids. The bankruptcy filing arrives just weeks after the company announced it would cancel its flagship Vice News Tonight program amid a wave of layoffs which was expected to impact more than 100 employees in the company's 1,500-person workforce, the Wall Street Journal reported. The company also said it would end its Vice World News brand, making Vice News its only brand worldwide. Monday's filing comes amid a wave of media layoffs and closures including job cuts at Gannett, NPR, the Washington Post and more over recent months. In April, BuzzFeed Inc. announced that its Pulitzer Prize winning digital media outlet BuzzFeed
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur has said the Centre is working on a bill to regulate digital media. He said there used to be one-way communication of news earlier, but with the development of electronic and digital media, communication of news has become multidimensional. Now even small news of a village reaches the national platform through digital media, he said on Wednesday. In a statement, Thakur said the government has left most of the print, electronic, and digital media to self-regulation. "Digital media presents opportunities as well as challenges. To have a fine balance, the government will see what can be done on this. "I would say that changes have to be brought in law, we will bring that to make your work simple and easy. We are working to introduce a bill," Thakur said at an event organised by Hindi news daily Mahanagar Times. Thakur also that the process of registration of newspapers will be simplified and the central government will soon b