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New Delhi: In a move that has raised alarm among press freedom advocates, Indian tax authorities have revoked the non-profit status of The Reporters\u2019 Collective (TRC), a New Delhi-based digital media outlet known for its investigative journalism.<\/p>\n
According to Kashmir Media Service, authorities justified the move by claiming that TRC\u2019s journalism does not serve a public purpose. This is despite the organization\u2019s impactful investigations, such as exposing how the Indian government handed over 62% of new Sainik Schools to the RSS, the BJP, and its allies. TRC also uncovered how the BJP-led Indian government relied on questionable expert opinions to remove health warnings on fortified rice and reported on the BJP\u2019s financial gains from the electoral bond scheme.<\/p>\n
The Reporters\u2019 Collective, operating as a registered non-profit trust since July 2021, has earned recognition for its investigative reporting, journalist training, and research initiatives. In a press release, the organization condemned the decision, calling it a significant setback for independent journalism in India.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe began as an informal group bootstrapping from our meagre resources,\u201d the Collective stated. \u201cSince July 2021, we have operated as a formal registered non-profit trust, funded by citizens.\u201d The group strongly asserted that \u201cjournalism done right is a public good\u201d and emphasized its work holding powerful entities accountable, particularly for marginalized communities. The revocation of the group\u2019s non-profit status is expected to severely hinder its operations. \u201cThis decision directly impairs our ability to function and exacerbates the challenges for independent, public-serving journalism in the country,\u201d the organization said. Despite the setback, TRC remains committed to investigative journalism and plans to pursue legal remedies to protect its right to report freely and without fear. \u201cWe stand by our colleagues, whose courage and perseverance continue to produce journalism that serves the public,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n
The revocation of TRC\u2019s non-profit status follows similar actions taken against at least two other media outlets operating under charitable trusts and tax exemptions. Among them is the Bengaluru-based Kannada website The File, which received a notice in December 2024.<\/p>\n
This decision comes amid mounting concerns over press freedom in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s government, with independent media outlets facing increasing scrutiny and regulatory pressure. Advocacy groups warn that such actions may undermine the role of the media in holding those in power accountable, eroding democratic safeguards.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s press freedom has been a growing concern, as highlighted by its ranking of 159th in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi: In a move that has raised alarm among press freedom advocates, Indian tax authorities have revoked the non-profit status of The Reporters\u2019 Collective (TRC), a New Delhi-based digital media outlet known for its investigative journalism. According to Kashmir Media Service, authorities justified the move by claiming that TRC\u2019s journalism does not serve a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":166425,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/assests\/2025\/01\/IMG_5889-1024x576-1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kmsnews.org\/kms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}