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15-02-2025
Bureau Report
NEW DELHI: In a worrying move, the Indian tax authorities revoked the non-profit status of two independent media organizations; the journalist association The Reporters’ Collective (TRC) and the news site The File. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns this offensive against the independent press and calls on the tax authorities to rescind these decisions.
It is an intolerable attack on journalism and a dangerous precedent that could threaten all non-profit media organizations in India. The Reporters ‘Collective, a New Delhi-based association of reporters, announced on 28 January that its non-profit status had been revoked by the tax authorities on the grounds that “journalism does not serve any public purpose and therefore cannot be carried out as a non-profit activity.” The loss of this status subjects the independent organization to the same taxes as commercial enterprises, and seriously jeopardizes its financial viability. RSF is concerned about an emerging pattern of fiscal harassment as The File, a Bangalore-based news site specializing in investigative journalism, fell victim to a similar decision in December 2024.
“By attacking independent media organizations under the pretext of tax regulations, the authorities are attempting to silence investigative journalists and dry up their financial resources. To claim that journalism is only for profit and to deny its public interest ignores the very nature of the profession and the role it plays in a democracy. Information is a common good essential to the proper functioning of our democracies and it is thanks to journalists that citizens have access to reliable, independent and diverse information. Journalism’s fundamental role has been recognized by international law for years, and it seems the Indian tax authorities want to ignore India’s international commitments, including the International Declaration on Information and 
Democracy. RSF calls for The Reporters’ Collective and The File’s non-profit status to be immediately restored.”
Originally an informal group of journalists, The Reporters’ Collective registered as a non-profit organization in July 2021 and is funded by donations. The revocation of its tax status comes after the outlet published investigations criticizing Narendra Modi’s government, probing into its manipulation of global poverty indicators to improve India’s image. The collective has appealed the decision to the Delhi High Court.
Known for its investigations into political parties in the state of Karnataka, in southern India, The File received a similar notice when it applied to renew its status. The founder and editor-in-chief of The File, G. Mahantesh, told the online media The News Minute: ““The I-T Department looked at our website and decided that we were a commercial venture and our website was drawing revenue, which is completely untrue as we are an ad-free space. We have filed an appeal against this decision.” In 2023, the Bangalore police ordered The File to reveal its sources after it published an article on the reinstatement of civil servants involved in a scam.
These tax status revocations are part of a rising, worrying trend of fiscal and judicial harassment against independent media outlets in India.
