Free Press Journal changes its Masthead to 'Free Rights'...

To shed light on human rights issues in the country, Indian daily newspaper The Free Press Journal has changed its masthead to 'Free Rights' - on the eve of International Human Rights day. Through this initiative, the newspaper aims to spark discussions, or at the very least, highlight certain social issues prevalent in India.

The newspaper started this cause-based movement on August 29, National Sports Day, by changing its brand name to Free Sports. In October, the name was changed to Free food for World Food Day - in an attempt to address the blatant food wastage menace in the country. Last month, the brand unveiled its 'Free Child' edition for Children's Day.

The Free Press Journal has chosen the state of Press freedom in India as the benchmark for assessing the level of overall freedom in the country. Of the 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index, India ranks 140^th. The newspaper has therefore, made it the theme of its 'Free Rights' edition.

The new edition will feature points of view on the first two pages with contributors speaking from different perspectives. On the inside, the newspaper will sport articles written by various personalities. The articles include - a piece on gender equality by Indian ad film director Prahlad Kakkar, actor Raveena Tandon's views on the current status of human rights in India, writer and TV personality Kunal Vijaykar's take on freedom of expression, lawyer Zoru Bhathena's insights on human rights and the environment, among others.

With Isobar India as its digital partners, The Free Press has revealed plans to take the campaign to social media, with more ideas in the works. The 'Free Rights' edition of the newspaper was ideated by Taproot Dentsu.

Speaking on the campaign, Santosh Padhi, chief creative officer and co-founder, Taproot Dentsu, says, “Being from the creative industry, I believe in the strength of creativity and its power to move people and change how they think. As a country, we are creatively gifted. But unfortunately, due to many religious and political agendas coming in our way, our creativity has been thwarted. The last few years have seen it taking a back seat. Both Taproot and I have, over the years, faced issues that endangered our basic right of expression – there are a number of political parties and religious groups that exist to exercise their right to thwart ours. So, this particular issue is close to my heart.”