The challenge of reporting

Press freedoms worldwide have declined measurably since 2012. Over the past five years, approximately 85 percent of the world’s population has experienced a decline in press freedom in their country. In a democracy, journalists are messengers of news and information. Silencing them will silence their reportage and commentary on important issues, and the democratic right of citizens to access information without fear is compromised. According to the Press Freedom Index 2024, India is currently ranked 159 out of 180 nations. While this is a marginal improvement from last year, India’s performance in the recent past has been consistently poor. India’s neighbouring countries, such as Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, stand at 74, 147, 150, and 152, respectively. This year too, the Scandinavian countries—Norway, Denmark, and Sweden—were the best performers, while Eritrea, Syria, and Afghanistan were the worst. Most journalists, activists, and writers are being threatened for writing or expressing their dissent against the authority. Some courageous people come out to express their views freely, but at the end, their voices are suppressed.

According to a report by Free Speech Collective, in the last decade, 154 journalists in India were arrested, detained, interrogated, or served with show cause notices for their professional work, and a little over 40 percent of these instances occurred in 2020. Nine foreign journalists faced deportation, arrest, or interrogations or were denied entry into India. In a normal context, freedom of the press or media refers to the rights given by the Constitution of India under freedom and expression of speech in Article 19. There are many incidents of journalists being killed by ill means. On September 5, 2017, journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, the editor of a weekly Kannada tabloid, Gauri Lankesh Patrike, was shot dead in front of her residence in south Bengaluru. Recently, a 27-year-old journalist working with a Delhi-based online portal was assaulted, at an election rally in Rae Bareli. In another incident, on February 9, journalist Nikhil Wagle’s car was attacked, while he was on his way to speak at a programme.

Journalists are especially vulnerable when reporting on organised crime rings, such as the liquor mafia. They can experience many forms of intimidation, including harassment or even a car driving quickly by a reporter’s motorcycle on the highway. These threats can turn more sinister if the journalist insists on pursuing their story. In the Romesh Thapar v. State of Madras (1950) case, the SC held that freedom of speech and expression includes freedom of the press. The Court observed that the press has a significant role to play in informing the public and promoting democratic values. Therefore, any attempt to curtail the freedom of the press would violate the right to freedom of expression.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) also recorded a total of 232 media rights violations last year, which included the targeted killings of eight journalists and media practitioners. In India, it was stated that some journalists paid the ultimate price for performing their professional duties.

The report noted the deaths of journalists Abdul Rauf Alamgir of Assam (June 2023), Shivam Arya of Madhya Pradesh (July 2023), and Vimal Kumar Yadav (August 2023). It also cited the incident when cops roughed up some photojournalists covering the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 21, 2024.

In October 2023, the killers of journalist Soumya Vishwanathan were brought to justice after 15 years. Vishwanathan, a journalist with the television news channel Headlines Today, was shot dead in 2008. “Her killing brought into sharp focus the insecurity that women journalists faced even in the capital,” the report said, underscoring incidents of assaults on journalists in many other states. It is very heartening to see that journalists are being deprived of their work, which is considered the fourth pillar of democracy. Last year, while the Supreme Court of India was hearing a case, it said a free press presented citizens with hard facts and shined a light on the functioning of the state. Press plays an important role in reaching out people’s concern to the authorites.

Shahruk Ahmed Mazumdar is based in Assam, India