Somewhere along the way, the rise of online platforms has created a widespread assumption that anyone uploading videos on YouTube or Facebook is the same as a journalist publishing stories on digital news portals. This assumption is misleading, and it undermines journalism.
Traditional media in India has always been governed by specific laws. For print, the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867 governed newspaper registration. It was replaced by the Press & Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023, which came into force on March 1, 2024, ushering in a fully online system via the Press Sewa Portal.
Television, meanwhile, continues to be regulated by the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. Although a Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023 was drafted to replace it and extend oversight to OTT platforms and digital news, the draft faced criticism and was withdrawn in August 2024. The government has indicated it may revise and reintroduce the proposal after wider consultations.
Meanwhile, digital news portals and online news channels work under a different framework – the Information Technology Act, 2000, specifically the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. These Rules brought digital publishers of news and current affairs under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, requiring registration of basic details and compliance with a three-tier grievance redressal system. Yet, the Rules remain contested in courts, with parts stayed and their long-term scope uncertain. Petitioners argue that the Rules give the government too much control over digital media.
By contrast, YouTubers and influencers, unless they run a recognized digital news outlet, are not bound by such obligations. They may create commentary, reviews, entertainment or opinions, and while they too remain answerable to general laws such as defamation or IT offences, they do not carry the editorial and ethical responsibilities that a newsroom takes on. Their work, while valuable in its own space, is not the same as a reported, fact-checked story published under editorial responsibility.
This distinction matters. Journalism is not simply the act of publishing content; it is a process that involves verification, editing, accountability, and service to the public record. A journalist works within an editorial system, a casual creator does not.
Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution protects free expression, but freedom is paired with responsibility. To conflate journalism with casual creation is to dilute that responsibility, especially at a time when misinformation can spread faster than fact.
When everyone can broadcast, only those committed to verified reporting earn the title of journalist.
