Opposition and media fraternity slam journalist accreditation guidelines issued by Goa assembly 

PANAJI: The opposition and the media fraternity in Goa have slammed a fresh set of guidelines issued by the state assembly which makes circulation of newspapers and earnings of news portals a criteria of accreditation.

The guidelines, which come at a time of a nationwide debate over the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry's crackdown on 'fake news'.

"The guidelines should be withdrawn immediately. They are extremely detrimental to the interest of the Fourth Estate and democracy," Congress General Secretary Girish Chodankar told reporters here on Tuesday.

As per the new guidelines, correspondents of only those online portals with a daily page view count of 10,000 and an annual revenue generation of Rs 10 lakh would be allowed access to the Assembly to cover its proceedings.

It also mandates that correspondents of only those newspapers with a circulation of 15,000 copies and above would be allowed accreditation, with special exceptions to be made at the discretion of the Speaker's Office in case a daily's circulation is below 15,000.

Kishor Naik Gaonkar, President of the Goa Union of Journalists, which represents over 200 working journalists in the coastal state, said the association would immediately write to Speaker Pramod Sawant asking him to withdraw the guidelines without delay.

"Goa is a small state where very few newspapers have a circulation of more than 15,000 and there is no question of news portals getting 10,000 page views. Going by the guidelines, there will not be more than four journalists who will qualify to cover the Assembly session," Gaonkar told IANS.

"This is a regressive step in every way and gives the impression that those involved in decision making are not interested in allowing journalists to cover the proceedings," he said.

The guidelines also say that representatives of news portals or websites, who in the present or in the future are found in activity perceived as cyber crime would be denied accreditation.

"In the event of a news portal/website found involved in any activity perceived as cyber crime, now or in future, all accreditations given to the representatives of that news portal/website shall be withdrawn immediately," it added.

The guidelines come following a media person's ban from the Assembly premises last month after his digital news messaging service went into detailed lengths about the severity of ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's health. 

Parrikar is currently being treated for advanced pancreas cancer at a US hospital.