India boasts a vibrant and dynamic media landscape by providing a spectrum of perspectives. Journalists across the nation continue to play a crucial role in holding power to account. Even while the nation has slipped into the quasi festive mood to celebrate the biggest festival in democracy, the 18th Parliamentary Election of India.
Trained journalists across the country are leaving footprints by uncovering stories of corruption, injustice and societal issues. However, the fourth estate in the largest democracy ranks 159 in the World Press Freedom index amongst 180 nations in 2024 according to Reporters without Borders (RSF for Reporters sans Frontières) .
In 1993, it was decided that the third day of the month of May would be celebrated as the World Press Freedom Day. As a precursor, from 29th April to 3rd May 1991, a general conference was hosted by the UNESCO in Windhoek, the Capital of Namibia, which emphasized on the significance of the independent Press in Africa to establish and retain democracy.
The conference further patronized the importance of the existence of the independent and pluralistic press in Africa for a healthy democracy to sustain.
Now, let’s throw some light on the state of freedom being experienced by the journalists in Atmanirbhar India.
Press freedom has fallen by an average 7.6 points globally in the past 10 years. Indian media as a whole is showing the similar trend.
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Since 1992, 47 journalists have been killed in India, according to data compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Media freedom in India has come under serious threat, with journalists being trolled, harassed and even arrested for doing their job. As many as 65 journalists are currently missing status in India, as reported by the CPJ.
India continues to draw criticism over its treatment of the media, in particular for the use of the preventive detention law, the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA). Many jailed journalists are being investigated or have been charged under the anti-terrorism law, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Recent Incidents unveil that the message and information going to the public is highly controlled. The honourable Prime Minister of India has not conducted a single press conference since he took the office. “Most citizens sitting in a town of India are getting one view and that is the government’s view,” says Hartosh Singh Bal, executive editor of the Caravan, an independent publication. Filtration of information is happening in such an effective way, that it is far more worrying than a totalitarian state.
Several Indian journalists agree that media freedom was never absolute and corporate owners often exercised influence based on the political patronage they were seeking. Mainstream media in recent time has drastically cut down on their reporting budgets. Reporting on rural health care, poverty and other issues from around the country that was routinely done is hardly to be seen now. As Sandeep Bhushan, author of the book The Indian Newsroom (2019), asks, “Who is reporting on adivasi [indigenous] children?”
Unlike U.S.A, the freedom of press in India has never been safeguarded constitutionally. The struggle has worsened essentially after the pandemic. No government agency was able to provide a detailed list of migrant labourers in India. Despite an attempt of Press Council of India, the number of journalists who have lost their jobs is yet unaccounted and intended to be dehumanised.
(The views and opinions expressed in the article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views of The Theorist)
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