Hyderabad: Every year ‘World Press Freedom Day’ is celebrated on 3 May to commemorate journalists and highlight the difficulties they face while reporting truth. Journalists require a degree of freedom, which is usually guaranteed in the constitutions of various democratic nations and in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Whereas, India has become an apartheid state where human rights and “equality” have become a far-flung idea. The 2021 ‘World Press Freedom Index’ by Reporters Without Borders has ranked India at 142 out of 180 countries, calling it “one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists.” Article 19 (a) of Indian Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression but BJP supporters and Hindutva ideology have created an environment of intimidation for journalists who are critical of the government by labelling them as “anti-national” or “anti-state”.
Journalists are exposed to every kind of attack, including police violence against reporters, ambushes by political activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt local officials. From May 2019 to August 2021, 256 journalists were attacked for doing their job. Journalism has become a crime in India. In 2017, prominent journalist Gauri Lankesh, known for her outspoken criticism, was shot dead in Bangalore.
Moreover, Rana Ayyub a famous journalist who has exposed Modi and CM of Gujarat in “Gujarat Files” is prime victim of a campaign of intimidation by Indian authorities. Even UN has exposed India’s true face by publishing a report on the use of excessive force by police on public roads against Journalists and HR defenders. Since 2016, at least 49 journalists in Jammu and Kashmir have been arrested and charged under draconian laws, including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In shinning India, grave HRVs against minorities; lynching, rape, looting and arson are the order of day. Not a single day goes by without the news of state sponsored and patronized violence, India is on a fast track to become a nation of “Zombies”, tearing apart each other.
India’s ranking fell from 133 in 2016 to 142 in 2021, of 180 countries, on the World Press Freedom Index that highlights the degree of freedom that journalists, news organisations and netizens have in each country, and the government’s efforts to respect such freedom.
The report is put together by Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), a non-governmental organisation. The index is based on a survey that looks at seven main criteria: pluralism (the degree to which different viewpoints are represented in the media), media independence, environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency in sourcing of information, infrastructure for production of information, and abuses or assaults against journalists in the field.
The questionnaire considers the media’s legislative framework (including penalties for press offences, the existence of a state monopoly for certain types of media, and how the media are governed) and the level of independence of the media broadcast publicly. It also includes an assessment of violations of the free flow of information on the internet.
