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India’s Congress party workers are detained by security personnel in New Delhi on July 20, 2021, as they take part in a demonstration the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s alleged surveillance operation using the Pegasus spyware. Credit: Prakash Singh \/ AFP<\/p>\n
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The year 2021, like the past seven, continued to test the media in India like never before, with government pressure on journalists at its highest levels since India\u2019s tryst with the 21-month Emergency of 1975-77. Some media and journalists stood tall, but many succumbed to the pressure.<\/p>\n
A fear psychosis gradually grew with the \u2018taming\u2019 of the media through a lethal cocktail of the use and misuse of laws: the Disaster Management Act during the pandemic; Section 124A (sedition) and Section 153A (promotion of communal hatred) of the Indian Penal Code or the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA); the National Security Act; the defamation law, and the Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediary and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. Additionally, raids by the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax departments on media houses and journalists were designed to intimidate. And if these were not enough, surveillance of journalists is the latest in the government\u2019s tool bag to intimidate critics, and clampdown on free speech and independent journalism.<\/p>\n
India is alleged to be among 50 countries that used Pegasus, the Israeli spyware to snoop on over 50,000 people. The data analysed by The Wire<\/em>, part of the international collaborative investigation titled \u201cPegasus Project\u201d, shows that most were targeted between 2018 and 2019, in the run-up to the general elections. Forensic tests confirmed that a number of individuals had indeed been spied upon via the Pegasus software. At least 40 journalists are said to be among 300 others, including a Supreme Court judge, opposition leaders, ministers, constitutional authorities, activists, and former election commissioners, who were under the government\u2019s watchful gaze. Amidst denials by the government, Israeli sources revealed that the software is sold solely to law enforcement and intelligence agencies of \u201cvetted governments\u201d. In July 2021, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, NV Ramana, in response to petitions challenging illegal surveillance said, \u201callegations are serious if the reports are correct\u2026The truth has to come out\u201d. It set up an independent three-member expert committee, reasoning: the State cannot get \u201ca free pass every time the spectre of \u2018national security\u2019 is raised\u201d.<\/p>\n With the state aggressively intruding upon constitutionally guaranteed rights, the highest court of the land made significant interventions through the year, giving hope that the judiciary might uphold the sacrosanct right to freedom of speech and expression and freedom of the press.<\/p>\n The apex court has also taken up arguments against the archaic sedition law that makes criticism of the government an act \u2018against the nation\u2019. The cases tie up journalists and others in a legal nightmare and allow prolonged detention without trial, an easy way to intimidate and harass critics. Final hearings regarding the constitutional validity of the sedition law are expected to be taken up on May 5, 2022.<\/p>\n In October 2021, former Supreme Court judge Rohinton Nariman exhorted the apex court to let citizens \u201cbreathe more freely\u201d by repealing the sedition law and the\u00a0offensive provisions of the UAPA. \u201cThere is a chilling effect on free speech. If you are booking persons, including journalists, under these laws which come with large sentences and no anticipatory bail, people would not speak their mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Two cases of sedition against the media shone a much-needed spotlight on the issue. Battling for over a year since such a charge was levelled by the Himachal Pradesh police against him for one of his YouTube shows, senior journalist the late Vinod Dua finally got a reprieve. The top court quashed the charges on June 2, 2021. Equally significant was what it said: \u201cEvery journalist will be entitled to protection under the Kedar Nath Singh judgment on sedition.\u201d According to the 1962 landmark verdict, \u201cmere strong words used to express disapprobation of the measures of the government with a view to their improvement or alteration by lawful means\u201d does not amount to sedition.<\/p>\n In the second case, the apex court stayed the sedition charges against two Telugu news television channels\u00a0TV 5<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0ABN Andhrajyoti<\/em>\u00a0 on May 31, 2021. Noting that the cases appeared to be an attempt to \u201cmuzzle media freedom,\u201d the court said, \u201cIt is time we define the limits of sedition\u2026particularly in the context of the right of the electronic and print media to communicate news, information and the rights, even those that may be critical of the prevailing regime in any part of the nation.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Over the period under review, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) ruling at the centre and some states used the lens of Hindu nationalism to paint critics of the government as \u201canti-national\u201d or anti the Hindu majority. Many media houses with business interests tied to extensive government advertising \u2013 more so since the pandemic \u2013 put themselves on mute or simply played along to enhance the government\u2019s nationalist\/majoritarian narrative, often targeting journalists, progressives, minorities, and independent thinkers.<\/p>\n This was particularly so with television news channels which, instead of holding power to account, have been used to intimidate, harangue and attack the opposition, liberals, and critics of the ruling party, as \u2018traitors\u2019, \u2018anti-Hindu\u2019 and \u2018against national interests\u2019. Only a few, especially digital news platforms, have tried to hold their own. Amid this polarisation, the credibility of the media among the people took a beating. In the milder first Covid-19 wave too, the 21-day lockdown from March 24 to April 14, 2020, without adequate prior notice resulted in immense trauma for thousands of daily-wage earning migrant workers, many of whom took the desperate step of trekking back to their homes on foot. Many did not make it alive. This lockdown was dovetailed by more and lasted till May 31, before phase wise unlocks began. However, the mismanagement of the devastating second Covid-19 wave, which ravaged India in April and May 2021, witnessed a larger section of the media playing its assigned role: speaking truth to power.\u00a0<\/p>\n The mishandling of the pandemic was highlighted through social media which shared horrific stories \u2013 of overflowing hospitals, people scrambling for oxygen, scores of funeral pyres burning in parking lots and on riverbanks and even corpses floating in rivers \u2013 that even a pliant media could ill-afford to ignore.<\/p>\n However, the revival of independent journalism during this second wave was forgotten in the heat and dust of five State Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab in early 2022. Media houses were easily identified as taking sides given the structure of corporate ownership, and the majority aiding the ruling party and those who did not fall in line were penalised, in many cases using the law.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_divider color=”#e5e5e5″ divider_weight=”8px” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”30%” module_alignment=”center”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_number_counter title=”Media Rights Violations” number=”30″ percent_sign=”off” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ title_font=”Oswald|300|||||||” title_line_height=”1.5em” number_font=”Oswald|700|||||||” number_text_color=”#939393″ number_font_size=”84px” width=”67.9%” min_height=”152px” custom_margin=”-19px||-3px|||” custom_padding=”||21px|||” locked=”off”][\/et_pb_number_counter][et_pb_divider color=”#e5e5e5″ divider_weight=”8px” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”30%” module_alignment=”center”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_number_counter title=”Killings” number=”4″ percent_sign=”off” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ title_font=”Oswald|300|||||||” title_line_height=”1.5em” number_font=”Oswald|700|||||||” number_text_color=”#FF0000″ number_font_size=”84px” width=”67.9%” min_height=”152px” custom_margin=”-19px||-3px|||” custom_padding=”||21px|||” locked=”off”][\/et_pb_number_counter][et_pb_divider color=”#e5e5e5″ divider_weight=”8px” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”30%” module_alignment=”center”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_number_counter title=”Arrests” number=”12″ percent_sign=”off” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ title_font=”Oswald|300|||||||” title_line_height=”1.5em” number_font=”Oswald|700|||||||” number_text_color=”#E09900″ number_font_size=”84px” width=”67.9%” min_height=”152px” custom_margin=”-19px||-3px|||” custom_padding=”||21px|||” locked=”off”][\/et_pb_number_counter][et_pb_divider color=”#e5e5e5″ divider_weight=”8px” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”30%” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||68px|||”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”Blurb” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”13px||-14px|-25px||” animation_style=”fade”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_divider color=”#e5e5e5″ divider_weight=”8px” admin_label=”Divider” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”30%” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||446px|||”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”Blurb” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”13px||-14px|-25px||” animation_style=”fade”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/samsn.ifj.org\/SAPFR21-22\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/IND_000_9QN8JM-Afghan-women-protest-India-Sajjad-HUSSAIN-AFP.jpg” alt=”Channel 13 cameraman tackled to ground by riot police Feb 19 protest.” title_text=”INDIA-AFGHANISTAN-WOMEN-PROTEST” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-17px|||||” custom_padding=”|0px||||”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”6671dcc6-349c-4400-ae04-612e8c6d39b3″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|3px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Afghan nationals residing in India and supporters of the Afghan Refugee Women’s Association demand better rights for women in Afghanistan in New Delhi on October 30, 2021. Credit: Sajjad HUSSAIN \/ AFP<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ admin_label=”text” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ custom_margin=”|auto|1px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”3px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ admin_label=”Column” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font_size=”52px” width=”97.3%” min_height=”595px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, put in place in\u00a0February 2021,\u00a0seem to have done more harm than good. Not only on the home front has there been an outcry, but three UN special rapporteurs on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and on the right to privacy have firmly said that the Rules in their current form, do not conform with international human rights norms.<\/p>\n In a report in June 2021, they further noted: \u201cWe would like to recall that restrictions to freedom of expression must never be invoked as a justification for the muzzling of any advocacy of multiparty democracy, democratic tenets and human rights.\u201d The government through its permanent mission to the UN in Geneva responded: \u201cThe concerns alleging potential implications for freedom of expression that the new IT Rules will entail are highly misplaced,” and these are “designed to empower ordinary users” of social media.<\/p>\n On August 14, 2021, the Bombay High Court stayed the operation of Rules 9(1) and 9(3) dealing with an adherence to a Code of Ethics as \u2018prima facie the Code is an intrusion of the petitioners\u2019 rights of freedom of speech and expression.\u2019 Rule 9(3) explains\u00a0The Quint:\u00a0<\/em>creates a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism to deal with complaints that a digital media publisher has violated the Code of Ethics: the publisher themselves, a self-regulatory body of digital media publishers, and an inter-ministerial committee set up by the Centre. Any person can file such a complaint and can take it up the tiers if dissatisfied with the response received. This \u201ceffectively gives the central government, through the inter-ministerial committee in tier 3, oversight over all material published by digital media houses, and allows it to impose sanctions on media houses which it believes to have violated the Code of Ethics.\u201d<\/p>\n The case is one of many filed by several digital media organisations and journalists across the country. It is being viewed as a major victory for digital news media, given that these appear to be on the government\u2019s target list of \u2018censorship\u2019. Four months later, the Madras High Court restrained the Union government from taking any coercive action against digital media firms under the code of ethics. The Kerala High Court too passed a similar order.<\/p>\n While on the one hand the government is finding ways to check critical digital news media, on the other it seeks monopolies of Facebook, Twitter, and Google to be supportive of the ruling dispensation. According to a four-part series<\/a> of articles reported by\u00a0The Reporters Collective<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Ad Watch,\u00a0<\/em>published by Al Jazeera\u00a0in March 2022, the Facebook advertising platform \u201csystematically undercut political competition\u201d in India, giving the BJP an \u201cunfair advantage\u201d over other political competitors in the elections. The stories examined 500,000 political advertisements placed on Facebook and Instagram between February 2019 and November 2020 \u2014 a time when India\u2019s 2019 General Elections and nine State Assembly elections were held \u2013 and found how these boosted the BJP\u2019s campaigns.<\/p>\n India has the second largest number of internet users behind China, numbering 600 million. Many journalists are using YouTube and Facebook to build their own audiences, and the numbers using social media platforms have risen since the onset of Covid-19. The pandemic hit the employment market, like all the other sectors. Hundreds of journalists faced job losses, salary cuts, and furloughs, etc. Media houses lost the traditional revenue of private advertisements and were wholly dependent on government advertisements and were thus under pressure. Many legacy media houses shut down editions, pruned staff, and chose to stay on its right side. In this scenario, digital media saw a steady rise.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n In its December 2021 report on the\u00a0media and entertainment industry, the Confederation of Indian Industry\u00a0and\u00a0Boston Consulting Group\u00a0(BCG) pointed out: \u201cThe share of traditional media is slowly declining with increased digital adoption.\u201d But there is still high headroom for penetration with only 54 per cent of Indian households with a paid television connection and for many households, television continues to be the centre of the home and a significant part of family time. Marketing spends moved towards digital media and away from traditional segments like print, radio and to some extent television. A greater reliance on subscription and other paid options as well as the development of a credible digital business model is going to be inevitable for these traditional media segments.\u201d<\/p>\n The writing is on the wall. A shift from an\u00a0advertisement-based\u00a0revenue model to a subscription-based model is necessary. And though these are difficult times, and India has started its journey late, the subscription-based model is evolving, with the pandemic forcing a change in business strategy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other than the economic brunt, hundreds of journalists across the country died and suffered multiple cases of post-pandemic challenges resulting in medical, social, and\u00a0financial losses. The work pressure, with a number of media houses and offices in districts preferring staff to come to the office rather than working from home, neither providing protective kits nor insurance coverage, saw too many journalists risk their lives in the line of duty.<\/p>\n Estimates of the number of media workers who lost their lives differ. According to a study<\/a> by the Delhi-based Institute of Perception Studies, over 300 journalists lost their lives due to the virus since the pandemic started. On average, three journalists died every day in April 2021. In May, this average climbed to four per day. The second wave not only claimed the lives of several senior journalists but also killed many others working in districts, towns, and villages across the different Indian States. The Network of Women in Media, India says it has documented<\/a> more than 600 covid-related deaths since the second wave engulfed India in April 2021.<\/p>\n The Indian Journalists Union (IJU), an affiliate of the IFJ and The Editors Guild of India (EGI), among other associations had written to the\u00a0Union government demanding that as the journalists were carrying out their duties for a better-informed public, they too be declared \u2018frontline workers\u2019 and be given the Covid-19 vaccination on priority basis. This demand was not met at the central level. However, as the pandemic raged, several states declared journalists as frontline workers to be prioritised for vaccinations on World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2021. These were Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, and several states in the Northeast including Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura. Some also announced financial aid to families of journalists who died due to Covid-19. \u00a0<\/p>\n At the same time, the state machinery misused the Disaster Management Act to monitor the media and mute critical voices.\u00a0Fear of reprisal has forced media houses and journalists to impose self-censorship. As a result, investigative journalism too took a beating.\u00a0Consequences of disobeying would add to the hardship as the authorities equipped themselves with tools to book a journalist for \u2018fake news\u2019 or disinformation.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ admin_label=”quote” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ background_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” animation_style=”fade”][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”Blurb” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”13px||-14px|-25px||” animation_style=”fade”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_divider color=”#e5e5e5″ divider_weight=”8px” admin_label=”Divider” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”30%” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||446px|||”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”Blurb” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”13px||-14px|-25px||” animation_style=”fade”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/samsn.ifj.org\/SAPFR21-22\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/IND_000_324U6RX-Supporters-of-Indias-Bharatiya-Janata-Party-BJP-celebrate-SANJAY-KANOJIA-AFP.jpg” alt=”Channel 13 cameraman tackled to ground by riot police Feb 19 protest.” title_text=”INDIA-POLITICS-VOTE” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-17px|||||” custom_padding=”|0px||||”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”6671dcc6-349c-4400-ae04-612e8c6d39b3″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|3px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Supporters of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrate outside the party office in Lucknow on March 10, 2022, as votes are counted for the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections. Credit: Sanjay Kanojia \/ AFP<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ admin_label=”text” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ custom_margin=”|auto|1px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”3px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ admin_label=”Column” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font_size=”52px” width=”97.3%” min_height=”595px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The cases of intimidation and harassment of the journalists across the country reveal that the BJP-ruled States were front-runners in their\u00a0attempts to silence dissent and independent reportage.\u00a0<\/p>\n The state of Uttar Pradesh was a particularly difficult one for journalists. On June 16, 2021,\u00a0Ghaziabad police filed First Information Reports (FIRs) against three journalists \u2013 Washington Post\u00a0<\/em>columnist Rana Ayyub; freelance journalist Saba Naqvi; co-founder of fact-checking website\u00a0Alt News,<\/em>\u00a0Mohammed Zubair; and news Website\u00a0The Wire<\/em>\u00a0for \u2018provoking communal sentiment\u2019 by tweeting a video showing an elderly Muslim-man being beaten up by a group of men. The EGI, IJU and the association of digital news media, DIGIPUB condemned the police action and demanded the withdrawal of cases.<\/p>\n In the same month journalist Pateshwari Singh, Bureau Chief of\u00a0Bharat Connect<\/em>\u00a0and city reporter for\u00a0Jan Sandesh Times<\/em>\u00a0in Ayodhya was beaten by unidentified men for writing an article against a local BJP MLA. The men in an SUV rammed into his two-wheeler and then thrashed him. The IJU and NUJ(I) demanded that an FIR be lodged against the men as well as the MLA. On July 5, Shajahanpur district police filed an FIR against three journalists for reportage on a woman petitioning the Delhi High Court that she was being harassed by the media after converting to Islam.<\/p>\n Physical assaults were also rife. Krishna Tiwari, a local journalist from Unnao district was beaten by the chief development officer as well as by some \u2018BJP workers\u2019 and journalist Raman Kashyap was among five persons mowed down by the convoy of Ashish Mishra, the son of the Minister of State of Home, Ajay Mishra Teni. The convoy drove through a crowd of farmers protesting against the three contentious agriculture laws in October 2021. Though Ashish Mishra was released on bail in February 2022, the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) challenged the bail, calling it a \u2018planned conspiracy\u2019.<\/p>\n Siddique Kappan, a Delhi-based journalist with Malayalam news portal\u00a0Azhimukham\u00a0<\/em>and the secretary of the Kerala Union of Journalists languishes in jail since he was arrested by the Mathura police on October 5, 2020, and charged later under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. His fault \u2014 he had like other journalists gone to cover the Hathras tragedy of alleged gang rape and murder of a young Dalit woman.<\/p>\n The Tripura police in November 2021 booked 102 social media account holders under the stringent UAPA for protesting against communal violence after a mosque and a few houses and shops were reportedly vandalised in Panisagar district. Journalist Shyam Meera Singh was booked under the Act just for tweeting \u2018Tripura is burning\u2019. The Supreme Court on February 7, 2022, asked the State Government to stop harassing people for their tweets.\u00a0The EGI sent a three-member fact-finding team from November 28 to 1 December 2022. The EGI concluded: \u201cThe Tripura Police and the administration have displayed a lack of professionalism and integrity in dealing with the communal conflict and with those reporting on the issue. This makes them complicit in the growth of muscular majoritarianism that subverts democratic institutions\u201d.<\/p>\n In Manipur, this systematic intimidation of the media has been no different. The arrest of an outspoken journalist Kishorechand Wangkhem on two occasions is a case in point. The first was in 2018 for criticising the BJP government which had controversially come to power even though it was not the single largest party in a hung Assembly. The second time was in 2021 after the state BJP president, Saikhom Tikendra Singh, succumbed to Covid and Wangkhem remarked that the man ought to have known that cow dung and urine are not remedies for Covid. He was arrested under sedition charge and spent three months in prison before a court order freed him.<\/p>\n On November 14 and 15, 2021,<\/strong>\u00a0two Delhi-based women journalists of HW News Network, Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha were detained at the Assam border at the request of the Tripura police for their reportage and tweets on the communal friction in Tripura. They were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code on the complaint of the member of the Visha Hindu Parishad (VHP) a local Hindu organisation for allegedly \u2018maligning\u2019 the image of Tripura government and VHP.\u201d After being arrested in Tripura, the two were released on bail.<\/p>\n On September 9, 2021, miscreants ransacked the office of\u00a0Pratibadi Kalam<\/em>, in the state capital Agartala, and three journalists were injured. It turned out that the newspaper\u2019s editor and publisher lodged an FIR alleging that after a BJP rally, its workers attacked and ransacked his office and burnt cars and two-wheelers parked outside.<\/p>\n Assam too had its share of violations. On\u00a0December 4, 2021, Silchar-based journalist Anirban Roy Choudhury who runs\u00a0Barak Bulletin<\/em>, a news portal in the Cachar district of Bengali-speaking Barak Valley, was booked under the sedition law over an alleged \u201cobjectionable\u201d article. Journalist and RTI activist Avinash Jha was found dead on\u00a0November 12, 2021, his body burnt and thrown on the roadside near his village in Bihar’s Madhubani district. Associated with a local news portal, Jha exposed many illegal medical clinics being run in the district\u00a0and the misdeeds of contractors and others.<\/p>\n In Haryana, journalists who were reporting and filming a demolition drive in Khori Gaon in July 2022, in Faridabad district, were threatened and manhandled by the police.<\/p>\n States ruled by Opposition parties also witnessed violations of journalists\u2019 rights. In Andhra Pradesh, Chennakeshavalu, of local TV news channel\u00a0EV5,<\/em>\u00a0was stabbed to death in Nandyal, allegedly by a suspended police constable about whose illegal activities the journalist was doing a story. On\u00a0March 2, 2022, the Raipur police in Chhattisgarh arrested journalist Nilesh Sharma of magazine and web portal\u00a0India Writers\u00a0<\/em>for allegedly breaching pace and \u201cpromoting enmity or hatred between classes\u201d and immoral trafficking for his satirical criticism of the Congress government.<\/p>\n In Odisha, on February 18, 2022, four journalists were attacked during elections at Binjharour area when reporting on booth capturing. Rohit Biswal was killed by an improvised explosive device, allegedly planted by Maoist insurgents on February 5, 2022, while covering the polls. \u00a0<\/p>\n Not only individual journalists, but media houses too came under the scanner. Raids by Enforcement Directorate or Income Tax authorities on critical media groups seemed aimed at intimidation: fear psychosis from the top will trickle down to the bottom. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The offices of Dainik Jagran, one of the largest Hindi media groups,\u00a0were raided at around 30 locations on July 22, 2021, for alleged \u2018tax evasion\u2019, but the targeting seemed more linked to the media house highlighting Covid-19 mismanagement. Critical media, particularly during the second wave of Covid, was increasingly coming under attack by the government. This trend follows raids on other media outfits such as\u00a0The Quint<\/em>\u00a0in October 2018 and NewsClick<\/em>\u00a0in February 2021 and again on September 10, 2021, A similar raid was carried out at the offices of news portal\u00a0Newslaundry<\/em>, with an earlier visit having been paid in June 2021. These websites are known to be critical of the central government. \u00a0<\/p>\n Likewise, on January 31, the Information & Broadcasting Ministry revoked the Malayalam news channel\u00a0MediaOne\u2019s\u00a0licence and banned its telecast on the basis of an intelligence report asking the Ministry of Home to deny \u2018security\u2019 clearance, without giving reasons.\u00a0However, the Supreme Court on March 15, 2022, stayed the Ministry\u2019s directive \u201ctill further orders.\u201d<\/p>\n The Information & Broadcasting Ministry in another controversial decision tweaked the Accreditation Guidelines for Central Accreditation (2022) issued by the Press Information Bureau. Accreditation can be revoked if a journalist is \u201ccharged with a serious cognizable offence\u201d, or \u201cacts in a manner which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of State, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence\u201d.<\/p>\n The EGI, Press Club of India, IJU and Indian Women\u2019s Press Corps, among others, protested against the changes made. The EGI termed \u2018bizarre\u2019 the provision that merely being charged was a ground for the cancellation of accreditation. It added that apart from it being vague, there was also no adjudicating authority in case of revocation and furthermore, changes, if any, should have been made only after consultations with stakeholders.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ admin_label=”quote” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ background_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” animation_style=”fade”][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”Blurb” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”13px||-14px|-25px||” animation_style=”fade”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_divider show_divider=”off” admin_label=”Divider” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”509px” custom_margin=”||815px|||”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_blurb admin_label=”Blurb” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”13px||-14px|-25px||” animation_style=”fade”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/samsn.ifj.org\/SAPFR21-22\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/IND_000_9XL9FY-Students-demonstrate-demand-reopening-of-schools-DIBYANGSHU-SARKAR-AFP.jpg” alt=”Channel 13 cameraman tackled to ground by riot police Feb 19 protest.” title_text=”INDIA-HEALTH-VIRUS-DEMONSTRATION-EDUCATION” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-17px|||||” custom_padding=”|0px||||”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”6671dcc6-349c-4400-ae04-612e8c6d39b3″ custom_padding=”0px|0px|3px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Student activists march in Kolkata on January 31, 2022, demanding the re-opening of education institutions across the state of West Bengal, closed to curb a rise in Covid-19 infections. Credit: Dibyangshu Sarkar \/ AFP<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ admin_label=”text” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ custom_margin=”|auto|1px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”3px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ admin_label=”Column” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_font_size=”52px” width=”97.3%” min_height=”595px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The steady erosion of democratic institutions during the year represented another attack on press freedom.<\/p>\n The Press Council of India, mandated to safeguard press freedom and uphold the best standards of journalism in print media, has had no head since November 2021 and since the government has not moved on the process of appointment. The work of the quasi-judicial body to hear grievances against the press and by the press is at a standstill.<\/p>\n In another setback to media\u2019s watchdog role, journalists\u2019 entry into Parliament House and its press galleries restricted due to the Covid pandemic has not been restored to previous levels. The Press Club of India, the Editor\u2019s Guild of India, the Indian Journalists Union, and Indian Women\u2019s Press Corp were among others who protested on December 24, 2021, demanding that the government remove the restrictions and allow Parliament proceedings to be scrutinised by the media to ensure accountability.<\/p>\n While struggles to reduce the gender gap are ongoing, women journalists are engaged in a huge battle online. The attempt to silence them has viciously grown \u2013 from trolling, branding them as \u2018anti-national\u2019, and spewing sexist remarks and morphed photos, to putting them on online \u2018auction.\u2019<\/p>\n Online apps such as\u00a0\u2018Bulli Bai<\/em>\u2019 and\u00a0\u2018SulliDeals\u2019<\/em> on the Github platform, <\/em>that profiled Muslim women activists, journalists, analysts, artists and researchers were taken down after vigorous protests. These cases test the tricky balance between free expression online, government regulation and the \u2018freedom\u2019 to bully and abuse vulnerable sections of society.<\/p>\n \u2018Bulli Bai\u2019<\/em>\u00a0came up in January 2022 and appears to be an offshoot of\u00a0\u2018SulliDeals\u2019,\u00a0<\/em>which first surfaced in July 2021.\u00a0(Bulli\/Sulli<\/em>\u00a0is derogatory slang for Muslim women). The Internet Freedom Foundation called the fake online auction of almost 100 Muslim women a \u201cblatant violation of their data security and privacy rights.\u201d<\/p>\n The Print<\/em>\u00a0quoted political analyst Zainab Sikandar Siddiqui, whose picture was on\u00a0\u2018SulliDeals\u2019<\/em>, saying: \u201cUnfortunately cyberbullying is so common that it has become a \u201cnorm\u2026. Sexualisation and targeting of women happen across the board, but it is definitely disproportionate for Muslim women. Especially more so in these politically polarised times in the country when \u2018Hindu vs Muslims\u2019 is a common theme.\u201d<\/p>\n Online abuse of women journalists from marginalised sections was especially severe. Dalit Meena Kotwal, founder of online news channel The Mooknayak<\/em> was mercilessly trolled since December 2021. Rape threats and death threats over the phone from men who claimed to belong to Hindu nationalist outfits such as Bajrang Dal, Karni Sena and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) reportedly told her that she would meet the same fate as murdered journalist Gauri Lankesh. On February 3, 2022, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and other UN experts expressed their concern to the Government of India over the inaction in this serious case.<\/em><\/p>\nDefining limits<\/h3>\n
India is alleged to be among 50 countries that used Pegasus, the Israeli spyware, to snoop on over 50,000 people.<\/span><\/h2>\n
\u201cIt is time we define the limits of sedition\u2026particularly in the context of the right of the electronic and print media to communicate news, information and the rights, even those that may be critical of the prevailing regime in any part of the nation.\u201d
<\/span><\/h2>\nJudicial checks<\/h3>\n
Digital Growth<\/h3>\n
Lives lost<\/h3>\n
While on the one hand the government is finding ways to check critical digital news media on the other, it seeks monopolies of Facebook, Twitter, and Google to be supportive of the ruling dispensation.<\/span><\/h2>\n
Many legacy media houses shut down editions, pruned staff, and choose to stay on its right side. In this scenario, digital media saw a steady rise.
<\/span><\/h2>\nAttacking dissent<\/h3>\n
Trickle down<\/h3>\n
On November 14 and 15, 2021, two Delhi-based women journalists of HW News Network, Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha were detained at the Assam border at the request of the Tripura police for their reportage and tweet on the communal friction in Tripura.
<\/span><\/h2>\nRaids by Enforcement Directorate or Income Tax authorities on critical media groups seemed aimed at intimidation: fear psychosis from the top will trickle down to the bottom.
<\/span><\/h2>\nInstitutions undermined<\/h3>\n
The fight back<\/h3>\n