
Several press organisations on Wednesday strongly condemned the Union Government’s decision to block the YouTube channel of 4 PM News, calling it a “direct attack on freedom of speech” and a dangerous precedent for press freedom in India.
The YouTube channel, which had more than 7.3 million subscribers, was taken down on April 29. A notice on the channel now reads: “This content is not available in this country due to a legal complaint from the government related to national security or public order.”
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, representatives from the Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Association, and Kerala Union of Working Journalists (Delhi Unit) criticized the move, warning that it undermines democratic principles and the constitutional right to free speech under Article 19(1)(a).
According to the statement, 4 PM News had recently aired critical reports questioning possible security failures surrounding a tragic incident in Pahalgam. “These are questions that will be asked in any democracy,” the signatories asserted.

“In a democracy, dissent and questioning are not threats instead they are essential tools for transparency, accountability and strengthening democracy itself.”
The statement demanded that the government make public the full reasons for blocking 4 PM News and its affiliated multilingual channels. It also urged immediate restoration of access in the interest of transparency and the public’s right to information.
“Such actions set a dangerous precedent, eroding trust, stifling discourse apart from having an overall chilling effect. The public deserves answers, not censorship. We demand that the Union Government in the interests of transparency, inform the full reasons for blocking ‘4 PM’ news and its multi-lingual channels,” the joint statement read.



