The Reporters' Collective looks for legal remedy after losing non-profit status

The Reporters' Collective (TRC), a non-profit news organisation, on Tuesday (January 28) claimed that the income tax department has cancelled its non-profit status.

In a statement issued on its website, TRC said that since 2021 it existed as a formal registered non-profit funded by the citizens.

“But now the tax authorities have cancelled our non-profit status, claiming journalism does not serve any public purpose and therefore cannot be carried out as a non-profit exercise in India,” the Reporters' Collective statement added.

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‘Seeking legal remedies’

“We at The Reporters’ Collective continue to believe that journalism, when done right, is an essential public service for our democracy. Journalism done right is a public good. Investigative journalism that holds the powerful accountable essentially serves the citizens, particularly the poor and the marginalised. We have consistently worked with public purpose as a non-profit and in adherence to all Indian laws, without fear or favour,” the statement added.

“The order cancelling our non-profit status severely impairs our ability to do our work and worsens the conditions for independent public-purposed journalism in the country. We are seeking legal remedies to protect the idea of journalism as a public good and our right to carry out investigative journalism, research and training free of encumbrances, fear or threats at The Collective,” it added.

“We stand by all our colleagues at The Collective who have shown exceptional courage, skills, and perseverance to produce journalism that we all are proud of. We are not done yet,” the news organisation stated.

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Chidambaram slams move

Meanwhile, former Union minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram condemned the move, stating, “One more building block of freedom was knocked down today when the Income Tax department canceled the non-profit status of Reporters' Collective. The official reason given is journalism does not serve any public purpose. The true reason is that independent journalism does not serve the government’s purpose.”