The Media Foundation

Cockroaches to censorship, take-down time, section 69A, young people ridiculed as a national security issue, data centres in Hyderabad or illegal land acquisition — attending a riveting conversation at IIC reviewing the Draft Digital Content Rules. Plenty of food for thought

Pretty provocative points of view shared in this panel - on Draft Digital Content Rules. @prasanto @apar1984 @nixxin @seemay Shreya Singhal and Sangeeta Barua from @PCITweets Hosted by @FreeMedia_In @ShumaRaha

Congratulations!

Today at 18:30 @IIC_Delhi - Draft Digital Content Rules* - Safeguards or Curbs? #TMFDialogues With advocate Apar Gupta (Founder-Director, IFF), Nikhil Pahwa (founder Medianama), journalist Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty (president, Press Club of India) journalist Seema Chishti (editor, The Wire), advocate Shreya Singhal (Shreya Singhal v. UoI / 66A). Send your questions/comments! @apar1984 @nixxin @sangbarooahpish @seemay *Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026 "heavily regulate Synthetically Generated Information and expedite content takedowns": @GoI_MeitY @FreeMedia_In @internetfreedom @PCITweets @thewire_in @svaradarajan @PIB_MeitY @_sabanaqvi @ShumaRaha @pavanduggal @dhanyarajendran @DigipubIndia @medianama

To track news on workers and employment in India, follow the Worker Web channel on WhatsApp. Daily updates curated from a range of media. whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb…

whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb… India has a new WhatsApp channel on labour news with daily updates. Check out the seven updates today. @WorkerWeb1

Join us for a Media Dialogue on ‘DRAFT DIGITAL CONTENT RULES: SAFEGUARDS OR CURBS?’ Speakers: @nixxin @apar1984 @seemay @sangbarooahpish & Shreya Singhal Moderator: @prasanto May 22, 6.30 PM @IIC_Delhi 👇

Worker Web newsletter is back as a WhatsApp channel. Follow it here for daily labour news updates whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb… @FreeMedia_In @NWMI_India @geetaseshu @newsclickin @ThePrintIndia @thenewsminute @IndiaSpend @ILONewDelhi @newsclickin

The Assembly Poll Results and the Politics Ahead | #TMFDialogues 9 May 2026 [Video] youtu.be/DxHLgAwbnic?si… @seshadrichari @madversity @jigeesham @Bharatitis @IIC_Delhi @Vasudha156 @FreeMedia_In @ShumaRaha

On I-PAC: "I-PAC was basically supporting with data whatever the TMC's Abhishek wanted to conclude. I think its role and impact were limited:" Jayanta Roy Chowdhury "I disagree about their not having an impact - I believe I-PAC hollowed out the party, sitting in Abhishek's office:" Bharat Bhushan "BJP and RSS have virtually unpaid service delivery agents on the ground, via their party cadres:" Madhavan @JRoy_1978 @Madversity @IndianPAC

"I like to call Vijay neo-Dravidian. He's secular, he appeals to a new generation of voters in the changing peoplescape of Tamil Nadu. TN is not in the third world, at least aspirationally. TN has 85 mn people, 90% wireless subscription, Sundar Pichai and Aravind Srinivas are icons for Tamilians. Youngsters want to give new faces a chance, as they did in other nation like Ukraine:" Madhavan Narayanan @madversity #TMFDialogues

"Election after assembly election is reflecting alacrity for rejecting, not selecting. Bengal was about rejecting TMC, more than about selecting BJP. TN was more about rejecting DMK. "Then, the BJP is managing to distract the opposition with the red herring of intra-elite conflict between regional and national elites, including with SIR, but those may not have been issues for the masses. BJP would probably have won Bengal even without SIR, though with a thin margin. "And finally, why is anti-incumbency not affecting BJP as much as other parties? Does BJP indeed slightly improve services when in power?" Dr Ajay Gudavarthy, CPS, JNU @JNU_official_50

SIR and electoral malpractice is not a massive people issue, something that will trigger Nepal like on ground action. This is more like BJP's red herring for the Opposition, keep them busy. To turn this into any impact at all, the Oppositon needs to turn this into an issue that the people can relate to: Ajay Gudavarthy

"West Bengal results were no surprise to us, no surprise in the BJP war room, no surprise to anyone who really had the pulse of Bengal. The journalists were clearly not part of that lot! they didn't do a great job. INC is down, but not out. They're ruling four states. The communists are down and out - zero states now! the only ideology based party, and with no dynasts, but they're still out." Seshadri Chari, political analyst, RSS ideologue, to moderator Bharat Bhushan, kicking off the #TMFDialogues by the Media Foundation and IIC Delhi. @seshadrichari @madversity @jigeesham @Bharatitis @IIC_Delhi

"Like the INC which Mr Chari said is down but not out, TMC is down but not out. And it IS ideology based. It does have supporters on the ground. Mamata has the ability to reinvent herself, be the phoenix. "And I don't agree about the 'death of the Left'. They have ideology, cadre. The INC though has no leaders left in WB. Rahul Gandhi was nowhere in WB during the campaign:" Jayanta Roy Chowdhury @JRoy_1978 editor @UNIindianews #TMFDialogues

I am due to join @FreeMedia_In Foundation dialogue on politics after recent assembly polls. Assuming #TamilNadu developments do not throw one off track.

Join us for a Media Dialogue on ‘Assembly Poll Results and the Politics Ahead’ Panelists: Dr Ajay Gudavarthy, Vasudha Venugopal, Seshadri Chari, Jomy Thomas and Jayanta Roy Chowdhury. Moderator: Bharat Bhushan. On Sat, 9 May at 6.30 PM @IIC_Delhi Details here👇

telegraphindia.com/opinion/stifle… Stifled speech--A government addicted to narrative control is expanding its censorship powers and bending existing laws to do so. @ThePrintIndia @newsclickin @NWMI_India @IndiaSpend @FreeMedia_In @geetaseshu @NewsClickIndia

2. Donate now to The Reporters' Collective @reporters_co and back such journalism. Donate by clicking here: reporters-collective.in/support-us

Six press organizations gathered at the Press Club of India on April 11 to demand the unconditional withdrawal of the Draft IT (Intermediary Guidelines & Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules 2026. The rules create a chilling effect on press freedom, threaten independent creators & expand unchecked censorship powers. Key demands:— ✅ Withdraw Rule 3(4) executive censorship powers ✅ Stop the 3-hour takedown diktat ✅ Halt the illegal Sahyog portal ✅ Consult journalists BEFORE drafting such laws #PressFreedom #ITRules2026 #FreeSpeech