Downslide in press freedom in India is a concern, says N. Ram

From 2014 to 2024, as many as 19 journalists have been murdered in connection with their work across the country, he says

N. Ram, veteran journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu Group of Publications, on Saturday expressed concern over the downslide in press freedom and the suppression of independent voices in India.

Addressing a conclave on ‘Opportunities and Challenges in Regional Media’ organised by the Editors Guild of India in association with the Press Club of Odisha, Mr. Ram said, “Post 2014, media freedom and independence has seen India sink further from 114 in 2004 to 159 in 2024 among 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index published annually by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).”

“The Central government has made concerted efforts to police and censor the Internet, social media and technology platforms. It has certainly conducted illegal surveillance on a large number of journalists, politicians, civil society activists and selected targets by deploying military-grade spyware like Pegasus. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court of India,” he remarked.

Mr. Ram is a petitioner in the case filed in the Supreme Court for an independent probe into the mass surveillance using Pegasus.

“Shockingly, in the decade from 2014 to 2024, as many as 19 journalists have been murdered in connection with their work across India compared with 11 in the previous decade,” said the veteran journalist.

“Since 1992, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists meticulously after careful inquiry and strict verification documented work-related killings of journalists worldwide. During the past decade, India has been described as one of the dangerous places for journalists, especially investigative reporters. Reports suggest that communal and other forms of divisive politics and social polarisation across India have made an already bad situation worse,” observed Mr. Ram.

“This is not all. Since 2008, the CPJ is publishing an annual Global Impunity Index, which ranks countries where journalists are murdered and cases remain unsolved, where no conviction has been obtained. In other words, rule of law does not apply. I regret to say year after year, India finds itself among dozens of countries that figure in the Global Impunity Index. In fact, India is a founding and permanent member it seems of this club of shame. This is very serious matter,” he said.

Mr. Ram, however, refused to draw any parallels between press freedom during the Emergency and at present. “There was total censorship during Emergency. The political situation was perhaps not as bad as today. So far as the newspapers are concerned, there was total censorship — one could hardly write anything and even blank pages were not allowed. After the ground shifted under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s feet as a result of the last general election where they lost the majority, some independent voices are beginning to emerge, which were not heard earlier,” he said.

Anant Nath, President of the Editors Guild of India (EGI), also expressed his disappointment over the government’s attempts to block and censor content. “The new broadcast Bill and fact-checking unit, which would have given the Central government sweeping power to categorise what is fake, are some of the efforts to curb independent journalism,” he said.

EGI general secretary and senior journalist Ruben Banerjee deliberated on challenges being faced by Indian language media with Tapan Kumar Mishra and Tanaya Patnaik, editors of leading Odia dailies, Samaj and Sambad, respectively. Tathagata Satpathy, president of the Press Club of Odisha, and senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, spoke at length on the challenges facing Indian media. Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Ananga Kumar Patnaik and senior Supreme Court lawyer Sanjay Hegde threw light on legal complexities with regard to the freedom of speech.

Published - October 26, 2024 10:07 pm IST