Amid concerns expressed by media house owners that the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act may restrain press freedom and could constrain investigative journalism, Union Minister for Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has rejected these concerns, asserting that the Constitution's guarantee of press freedom remains paramount and inviting editors and media professionals to discuss their concerns with the government. "Journalistic freedom is guaranteed by the Constitution of India. That freedom is absolutely available. There is not even an intention to affect the journalistic freedom," Vaishnaw said, maintaining that the privacy law fully preserves the constitutional guarantee of media independence. "There should be no doubt about it," he said, adding that the government was willing to hear concerns and consider suggestions if any clarification or corrective action was needed. "I am inviting all editors, media persons to come and have a clear, open dialogue with us. We will be very happy to explain, and if there is any doubt, we are happy to take on record any suggestion and act if there is a need to," said Vaishnaw, who is also the Information and Broadcasting Minister. The minister's remarks came amid a legal challenge by news publishers over the law's potential implications for reporting on matters of public interest. Publishers have argued that the absence of an explicit exemption for journalistic activities could complicate investigations involving personal information collected without the consent of the individuals concerned, while raising concerns about confidential sources and the retention of material relevant to public-interest reporting. Separately, sources indicated that the government would be open to amending the law to explicitly safeguard journalistic activity and address concerns. Vaishnaw did not speak about any amendments. Vaishnaw said the DPDP Act followed a Supreme Court judgment recognising the right to privacy as a fundamental right and was framed after more than a year of consultations involving newspapers, television channels, media representatives, the information technology industry and other stakeholders. "The privacy laws have been enacted as a consequence of the Supreme Court's judgment, where the right to privacy was defined as a fundamental right," he said. Parliament had, in effect, translated that judgment into legislation, he added. Shashwat Bhandari is the Associate Editor at Times Now. With 14 years of experience in the news and media industry, he understands the responsibility ... View More