What's Happening to Journalists in India?
Embedded Files
JANUARY 2025
In India, where diversity thrives but dissent is often stifled, the press embodies the courage to question power, uncover truths, and amplify the marginalized.
Yet, this vital institution is under siege.
Journalism is facing censorship, corporate influence, and even violence. As the Indian society reels between progress and polarization, the role of journalism has never been more crucial.
It is not just a profession if you see, it is democracy's heartbeat.
Unfortunately, one more heartbeat has fallen silent from the deep jungles of Bastar in Chhattisgarh. Mukesh Chandrakar was a journalist, an independent freelance journalist based in Bastar.
He had exemplified the role of journalism in giving voice by his ground reporting. He bridged the gap between the government and the Naxalite movement and has bravely shed light on the grievances on tribal communities and advocating their rights.
He was also involved in release of a government official taken hostage by the Naxalites.
Later in 2024, Chandrakar's investigative work exposed a scam in road construction, where the contract escalated from Rs. 50 crore to Rs.120 crore without any change in scope.
This fearless reporting brought accountability to an issue that could have remained unchecked.
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Journalism is facing censorship, corporate influence, and even violence
But then, sadly, few days later, he lost his life because he was killed by the very people who were involved in this corruption.
There are serious challenges journalism is facing in India because the Indian authorities and those in power, have increasingly targeted journalists and online critics for their dissent.
They have been employing methods and tools like sedition and counter-terrorism laws like those to silence the voices of journalists.
For example, since 2017 in Uttar Pradesh, criminal cases have been filed against at least 66 journalists and another 48 have faced physical attacks. Such actions are just eroding the foundational principles of democracy in Uttar Pradesh.
Similarly, journalists in Jammu and Kashmir have faced intensified threats since 2019, after the abrogation of state's special status, Article 370 of Indian constitution.
The internet was shut down and there were physical raids and interrogation. Many times, confiscation of devices of the journalist has only led to curtailing freedom of press in the region.
The rest of the country do not know what exactly is going on in Jammu and Kashmir.
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They have been employing methods and tools like sedition and counter-terrorism laws like those to silence the voices of journalists
Although a functioning democracy in Jammu and Kashmir, still more than 35 journalists have faced police action, and it is making it increasingly difficult for them to operate in Jammu and Kashmir.
It is comprehensible that J&K is a sensitive issue of national security, but then rest of the country has the right to know how the government is resolving the problem of national security in Jammu and Kashmir.
Of late, we have also seen the misuse of laws such as sedition and defamation, along with advanced surveillance tools like Pegasus spyware.
Many senior journalists, those with voice of dissent, were targeted with the Pegasus spyware and that has raised serious concerns about the journalist's safety and their profession.
In the latest incident of arrest of Mohammad Zubair, only highlights the legal harassment of journalist.
Zubair is the co-founder of Alt News, and Alt News group, which is a freelance journalist group, is doing an excellent work in fact-checking and stopping fake news in the current times of politics in India.
They have an impeccable record of fact-checking crucial misinformation which could have hampered the peace of a community.
In pursuit of fact-checking, Zubair retweeted an instance of hate speech as an evidence, tagging UP police for accountability.
Ironically, Mohammad Zubair got arrested because the UP police is now accusing Zubair of retweeting hate speech and attempting to disturb communal harmony, while the person in question, the person wanted for hate speech, remains unchecked.
These are some of the examples to describe the state of journalism and the voice of dissent being treated in India.
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Many senior journalists, those with voice of dissent, were targeted with the Pegasus spyware...
This kind of instances only underscores the increasing legal harassment amounting to legal terrorism that is faced by the independent journalists and the freelance journalists who want to undertake the issues of society.
One of the strong voices against the policies of government, Rana Ayyub, also perpetually faces harassment and online abuse.
Recently, she was stopped from traveling to United Kingdom for a speaking engagement at a journalism event. She was charged for tax evasion and money laundering along with other crimes and still nothing has been established.
It is no brainer that these are only some tools and methods to harass those who have a voice of dissent against the government.
Overall, what does this picture actually mean?
It means that whenever the government grows on authoritarianism, they start to clamp down harder on press freedoms and they muzzle the press with fears and scrutiny. These trends increase as the government becomes more authoritarian.
So, why do governments fear journalists?
There is only one reason. A good journalism threatens authoritarian regimes and they expose misconducts.
It provides an alternative narrative to what the government is prescribing. Overall press creates a sense of accountability in the society, the inefficiencies are highlighted and of course, by exposing corruption and inefficiencies, the political careers are at stake.
The government starts to lose its propaganda, its narrative and the state fears that too much discontent might give rise to social unrest against the government.
India has a standing on press freedom. Out of 180 countries surveyed in 2024, the latest world press freedom index, India stands at dismal 159. For functioning democracy, India cannot have a worse ranking than 159.
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...whenever the government grows on authoritarianism, they start to clamp down harder on press freedoms...
It is primarily because of the government interference and the use of the sedition laws and the pressure on media outlets.
The other tactic to curb freedom of press, are the media conglomerates like Reliance Industries and the Adani Group.
They have started to buy out those press outlets. In effect, they are influencing the editorial content and reducing the journalistic independence.
Many journalists who were once considered independent in those media house, have left to start on their own or have been docile after the buy-outs.
Independent journalism and press freedom in India is on a spiralling down journey.
If the country allows poor journalism, to media houses with interests in government and to practice of Godi media or leave the journalists to ask kindergarten standard questions to the Prime Minister of India, the fundamentals of India will stand challenged.
As a result, it will leave corruption unchecked in the society and vulnerable to polarization and divisions. Much of this partition is already visible in the current India.
With poor journalism, we are only going to stunt the progress of this great country. It will only encourage poverty, inequality and environmental degradation.
The population may remain unaware of the deforestation or any policy that will propagate the environmental degradation. The consequences are many and dangerous.
Ironically, the current Indian prime minister, Mr. Modi has not addressed a single press conference since he has taken to office in 2014. It make more than 10 years without the scrutiny of press.
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Independent journalism and press freedom in India is on a spiralling down journey
Why aren't the journalists taking the courage to seek that press conference?
On the other hand, all US Presidents, all British Prime Ministers, French Presidents, Japanese Prime Ministers frequently take questions from journalists from their own country as well as foreign journalists.
Journalism is not just a profession. It's a lifeline of democracy. It's the heartbeat of a nation.
India had been fortunate that its formation also saw a significant contribution from excellent journalism.
The Indian freedom struggle was notably shaped by the journalists like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who wrote in Kesari and Mahratta, Gopal Krishna Gokhale was
editor of Sudharak and Mahatma Gandhi wrote in newspapers like Harijan and Young India, Lala Lajpat Rai was editor of Kohinoor, Vande Mataram and The People.
Their publications disseminated nationalist ideas, mobilized public opinion and provided the platform for leaders to voice dissent against British rule.
They have used journalism as a method to the cause of independence of India and purn-swaraj. Therefore journalism is a precious part of Indian democracy.
To further understand the power of journalism, we refer to 1983-84 to the city of Bhopal.
So, there is this journalist called Rajkumar Keswani and he warned in advance about the safety lapses at Union Carbide plant in Bhopal. This only exemplifies the power of investigative journalism.
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The Indian freedom struggle was notably shaped by the journalists...
He wrote an important article called “Bhopal sitting on a volcano” and that exposed glaring safety violations at the Union Carbide Plant. The warning in the article was ignored by the authorities.
He also wrote to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.
Tragically, his warnings remained unheeded and what do we witness is history of inhuman proportion?
The leak at the Union Carbide factory culminated into the infamous 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, one of the worst industrial disasters in the history of mankind.
Now imagine, only if the warnings from that independent journalist, Rajkumar Keswani, were taken seriously, thousands of innocent lives would have been saved and lakhs of lives, which are still affected by the toxic gas, would have been avoided.
The history of Bhopal would have been drastically different from what it is today.
Such is power of good journalism which can proactively prevent a mishap and therefore India as a democracy need to protect independence of journalism.
Journalism requires courage and dedication. It is very difficult to go through the hard work to highlight injustices and amplify marginalized voices to hold power to account.
Knowing all these facts, still this vital profession and crucial institution, critical practice of journalism faces existential threat in India.
Censorship, violence, threat to life, corporate influence, legal terrorism, is undermining the ability to function freely and fearlessly.
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...Only if the warnings from that independent journalist, Rajkumar Keswani, were taken seriously, thousands of innocent lives would have been saved...
But then, to neglect journalism is to neglect the soul of democracy.
A very good measure of extensive and intensive journalism can be observed from our surroundings.
A look around our homes, mahalas, streets, cities, villages, would have dozen problems. It will be easy to evaluate now how many newspapers, or magazines, have actually raised concerns about your local area.
It will define the depth of journalism in our local areas and the intensity of journalism and the depth of journalism that Indians are supporting.
Before it is too late, before India slips down from the democracy to authoritarian democracy which gets out of control easily, it is time to introspect and save journalists.
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