The Indian media is in a state of crisis. And this crisis is not accidental or random, but systematic and structural. The transformation began in India with what was termed in the 2000s as the shift to ‘sunny side journalism’, corporate advertisement-dependent media and finally what we witness today- a concerted state market takeover, governed at once by lure and fear.[i]
What is left for a journalist if he/she is deprived of a responsible pen and a fearless voice? Perhaps, it has become a daily drudgery for a lot of journalists today. The voices primarily critical of the state seem to have put a lot of things at stake. But for whom? The latest targets of the continued attack on the freedom of the press, on Tuesday, the day coincidently followed by Gandhi Jayanti, were journalists, staff writers, contributors, cartoonists and freelancers associated with a left-leaning Independent news portal Newsclick in connection with a case under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. This came days after Delhi Police registered a case against the news portal on August 17th, in relation to the alleged Chinese funding, also reported by the New York Times just a few days ago.
Earlier, during the monsoon session, a ruling party MP accused Newsclick of being ‘anti-national’. The editor-in-chief of NewsClick responded to all his allegations, stating “The allegations being made against us by certain political actors and sections of the media are unfounded and without basis in fact or law. Newsclick is an independent news organization, and any insinuation that we function as a mouthpiece for the Communist Party of China or any other interests is unequivocally false. We reiterate our unwavering faith in the Indian Courts and remain confident that Newsclick has diligently operated in accordance with Indian law.”
Similarly, only a few months back Indian authorities had also blocked the independent Kashmiri news outlet The Kashmir Walla, followed by X (previously Twitter) blocking their handle ‘in response to a legal demand’. In a thriving democracy, an informed citizenry plays a pivotal role in fostering an atmosphere of dialogue and dissent, thereby holding the government accountable for its actions. However, the very essence of democracy comes under threat when information is withheld, distorted, and appropriated and the truth remains buried under dusty files, overshadowed by communally charged baits, hate-filled reporting and overt sensationalism. The worst is when there is a systematic attack on the media which stands critical of the state.
The ‘Death’ of Dissent
In 2020, Newslaundry published a report detailing the plight of Indian journalists during the lockdown as they were booked, arrested, and assaulted. Uttar Pradesh alone accounted for the highest number of cases, followed by Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, and Maharashtra. Such actions against journalists raise serious concerns about the state of media freedom in the country.
The Central Bureau of Investigation’s targeting of NDTV and its owners since 2014 has added to the apprehensions. The recent acquisition of NDTV’s founders’ stakes by Adani, followed by senior journalist Ravish Kumar’s resignation intensifies the worries. Rightly Beate Josephi, Senior Lecturer at the School of Arts and Humanities, Edith Cowan University argues that democracies, in recent years, may be seen offering the legal framework for freedom of speech but they do not offer protection for journalistic services which have to be largely financed privately. Several other prominent news agencies, including Dainik Bhaskar, Bharat Samachar, The Quint, The Wire, Caravan, Newsclick, and Greater Kashmir, have not been immune to scrutiny from government investigating agencies and departments either. These actions collectively cast a dark shadow over the pillars of transparency, freedom of expression, and the overall health of democracy in our country.
The continuous attack on the free press has resulted in what senior journalist Pamela Philipose calls strangulation. Referring to the document titled The Investigation And Prosecution Of Strangulation Cases, produced by the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention and the California District Attorneys Association, she elaborates how Victims of strangulation may lose consciousness by any of the following methods: blocking of the carotid arteries in the neck (depriving the brain of oxygen), blocking of the jugular veins (preventing deoxygenated blood from exiting the brain), or closing of ̨ the airway (making breathing impossible). In a similar manner, she argues, ‘happens to the free media when the free flow of information is arrested. It slowly loses its ability to exercise agency, and over time, is rendered comatose much like the human body.’
Hate as a Hook
It has taken years of well-planned and well-executed for hate to be normalized and for misinformation to take over.[ii] The 2019 report by Human Rights Watch highlighted the rise in lynching perpetrated by mobs targeting individuals they suspected of possessing beef, consuming it, or engaging in cow trading. The report documented a distressing total of 44 murders, with 36 of the victims belonging to the Muslim community. Further, it noticed a nearly 500% increase in the use of communally divisive language in speeches by elected leaders—90% of them from the BJP—between 2014 and 2018. In coherence, as the report brought out, more than half of the journalists perceive unfair targeting of Muslims by Indian news. Along similar lines, the Lokniti-CSDS (2023) report pointed out that it (the media) seems to be forming a nexus with the political powers of the country.
Constant targeting of minorities and dissenters by media persons under the grab of ‘anti-something pattern’ has given rise to what Eugenia Siapera, Professor of Information and Communication Studies, University College Dublin, calls ‘hate journalism’. She argues that hate becomes a ‘hook’ to attract and engage users by mirroring their emotions and insecurities. In doing so, hate journalism is involved in the social reproduction process by which the society produces and sustains itself as ethnically pure, culturally homogenous, and gendered as masculine and virile (Siapera & Papadopoulou, 2021).[iii]
Numerous instances justify this. If one follows prime-time shows on major news channels, every dissenting voice is portrayed either as a conspiracy or a threat to internal security – both to polarise and instil a sense of perpetual fear among the masses. The farmers’ protest was given a ‘Khalistan angle”, the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was branded as an anti-national university, Shaheen Bagh was ridiculed as a paid protest (with the hashtag #ProtestOnHire by Republic TV), continuous unproven threats from China and Pakistan, building a hoax narrative of Hindu khatre mein hai (Hindus are in danger) to name a few. While pressing issues of unemployment, education, healthcare, farmers’ distress, poverty and malnutrition, women’s safety, etc find close to no mention.
Echo Chambers of Misinformation
Misinformation and appropriation aren’t new either to the media or to the world but what set the current era apart are the unprecedented speed, scope, and scale at which misinformation spreads, largely driven by the internet. The rise of algorithms and personalized content delivery systems further exacerbates the issue. Social media platforms, search engines, and recommendation algorithms often prioritize content based on individual preferences and engagement patterns.
Further, Marina Benjamin, senior editor at Aeon, argues that the reason why misinformation resists correction is repetition. Once something gets repeated often enough – sensational claims on social media – it can trick us into believing it as true merely because of the ‘confirmation bias’. As the illusory truth effect suggests, the easier to process and the more familiar something is, the more likely we are to believe it.
Thus repetitive circulation of misinformation creates echo chambers where users are exposed to information that aligns with their existing biases, reinforcing misinformation and limiting exposure to alternative perspectives.
The Global Voices Advox network’s report, released on August 4, exposes a concerning surge of digital authoritarianism in India. The study, spanning January 2022 to March 2023, highlights the tightening grip on digital freedoms. The report places India among countries propagating the narrative of critical journalists as threats to the State. This narrative aligns with media shutdowns, journalist arrests, expanded surveillance, and stringent media regulations. This trend is evident through several troubling indicators. Internet access for citizens is being curtailed, while critical journalists are unfairly labelled as enemies of the State. Additionally, political opponents face dehumanization and character assassination.
Ramachandra Guha in a recent protest organised in solidarity with Newsclick at the Press Club of India lamented that “this is the worst phase for Indian journalism”. And indeed. We should ask ourselves if democracy can thrive when its ‘fourth pillar’ has been broken down to side with authoritarianism and is continuously plaguing the psyche of people with hate, fake and appropriated news and instilling perpetual fear amongst journalists. A well-informed citizenry is mandatory for any healthy democracy. A free press is mandatory for any healthy democracy. And, for that, the facts have to remain ‘sacred’. But on the contrary, people are made to be fed on news items that propagate hate and put people against each other – news which are responsible for jeopardizing the lives and sanity of minorities and debates which are shying away from asking the tough questions from the government. While those who are asking critical questions to the power are being penalised.
But not all battles are fought for victory. Some are fought simply to tell the world that someone was there on the battlefield,” said senior journalist Ravish Kumar while receiving the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, captured in the documentary ‘While We Watched.’ It is a moving scene and one could relate to his statement, where each day we witness the slow death of free voice and the diminishing courage of a larger population to stand in favour of the disadvantaged while questioning the power.
[i] Chaudhuri, Maitrayee. (2017). Refashioning India: Gender, Media and a Transformed Public. New Delhi: Orient Blackswan.
[ii] https://thewire.in/society/if-hate-has-been-normalised-can-whatsapp-triggered-lynchings-be-far-behind, accessed on 20th October 2023.
[iii] Siapera, E., & Papadopoulou, L. (2021). Hate as a ‘Hook’: The Political and Affective Economy of ‘Hate Journalism.’ Journalism, 22(5): 1256–1272.
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Anjali Chauhan is a doctoral researcher at the Department of Political Science, University of Delhi.