Parliament Door Shut for Journalists: Restrictions Hurt Democracy

Parliament Restrictions: How it Affects Journalism 

Gautam Lahiri, veteran journalist and President of the Press Club of India, speaks to The Probe’s Editor Neeraj Thakur about the repercussions of Parliament restrictions on reporting for journalists and how this affects democracy and journalism.

Neeraj Thakur: You are a veteran journalist and have covered Parliament for years. Prior to 2014, we could easily move around Parliament. What kind of changes do you see in the situation today?

Gautam Lahiri: In the 18th century, it was said in the British Parliament that there are three pillars of democracy. Then, one MP noted that those sitting in the gallery above, the media, are actually the fourth pillar. Post-independence, the media had been granted free movement within the Indian Parliament. Even during the Emergency, there were restrictions on reporting, but the media still had the freedom to move around freely inside Parliament. This is the first time we are seeing such restrictions.

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Parliament Restrictions: How it Affects Journalism 

Gautam Lahiri, veteran journalist and President of the Press Club of India, speaks to The Probe’s Editor Neeraj Thakur about the repercussions of Parliament restrictions on reporting for journalists and how this affects democracy and journalism.

Neeraj Thakur: You are a veteran journalist and have covered Parliament for years. Prior to 2014, we could easily move around Parliament. What kind of changes do you see in the situation today?

Gautam Lahiri: In the 18th century, it was said in the British Parliament that there are three pillars of democracy. Then, one MP noted that those sitting in the gallery above, the media, are actually the fourth pillar. Post-independence, the media had been granted free movement within the Indian Parliament. Even during the Emergency, there were restrictions on reporting, but the media still had the freedom to move around freely inside Parliament. This is the first time we are seeing such restrictions.

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Why Are Journalistic Restrictions Still in Place Post-COVID-19?

There are three categories of journalists. The first is the junior reporters who are given a temporary pass. The second is the reporters with five years of experience who receive a permanent pass. The third is the long and distinguished service holders who have covered Parliament continuously for 25 years. They have the right to move up to the Central Hall. Every media organisation has a quota, and journalists would get accreditation this way. But after 2014, when the NDA government came in, they stopped access to information and started imposing restrictions in Parliament. They also used COVID-19 as a reason to restrict journalists. At that time, we understood, but now there is no COVID, so why are the restrictions still in place?

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Forget about Central Hall; the new Parliament doesn’t even have a Central Hall, and on this pretext, they canceled the Long and Distinguished Service Holder pass for veteran journalists. Now, the government wants journalists to make special requests, and it's up to them whether to allow journalists access for one or two days. This is unacceptable. If they continue to do this, democracy will not survive, and parliamentary democracy will also be at risk if the fourth pillar is crushed like this.

Neeraj Thakur: You have been covering Parliament for many decades. You have seen that even buses used to go very close to Parliament earlier, and people would just get down and walk up to it.

Gautam Lahiri: Not just buses. I remember we used to take autos and get out right at the Lok Sabha gate. That doesn’t exist now, and it is understandable because, after the terrorist attack on Parliament, it was necessary to impose restrictions. Earlier, there used to be a Press Advisory Committee, which recommended to the Speaker what must be done to facilitate journalists covering it. But now, we don’t have the committee at all.

The real issue is not just about restrictions. The issue is that because of these restrictions, journalists have lost access to newsmakers. This access is important because we can no longer talk to MPs and understand the reasoning behind certain Bills. Why are these Bills being brought about? There is so much behind-the-scenes action that journalists cover, which provides clarity to people on a lot of issues related to Parliament. Now, journalists have completely lost access. Even photojournalists and video journalists are not allowed to go anywhere near the parliamentarians.

Neeraj Thakur: This is an important point you have raised. Photojournalists and video journalists are also journalists and should not be discriminated against. Why do you think even photographers are being restricted now?

Gautam Lahiri: Still photographers used to capture the mood of the MPs through their lenses. They could tell stories through their photographs. If you see the exhibitions of some of our exceptional photographers, you will see how talented they are. They can tell stories through pictures, some of which even words and articles can't explain. Sometimes, one photo is even more important than a 500-word article. The government has realised the importance of these photo and video journalists, so they are deliberately imposing these restrictions on them.

Neeraj Thakur: Senior journalists have been covering Parliament for years. Why have they been restricted?

Gautam Lahiri: See, people who have covered Parliament for 30 to 40 years know everything about it. They know every nook and corner of Parliament. These senior journalists can gather information quickly and are seen as a big threat.

Neeraj Thakur: In this budget session, journalists were completely restricted in a room, and they had to protest. What must be done to improve the situation?

Gautam Lahiri: The government didn’t want the opposition to talk to the media, so they restricted them. It was good that, for the first time, all the media united and started protesting. But then the Speaker realised that the action was wrong because later, when the Parliamentary Affairs Minister wanted to talk, the media boycotted the minister as well. The Speaker finally called the journalists and removed the restrictions. But this was a temporary measure. The larger issue is that there are still restrictions on covering Parliament freely. The situation can only improve if the media comes together and protests against this in one voice.

The above is a condensed version of the interview transcripts. For the complete interview, please view the video above or click here for the full link.

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