Explained: What the new regulations mean for online news publishers

Some say Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021, leaves too many things in the hands of the central government

Prabhat Khabar has about 12 million readers, 52 million page views and another million-odd engagements on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube et al. As a leading Hindi daily in Bihar and Jharkhand, it has a lot riding on the new rules for news, over-the-top (OTT) platforms and social media notified by the government on February 25. 

“The rules will weed out minor players set up only with the intention of getting government advertising,” says Aloke Poddar, chief financial officer and head of digital for Prabhat Khabar. It will add to costs since a whole framework of compliance comes into play. “Everything we