Degression in press freedom in India is a concern, says former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu Group N. Ram

Bhubaneswar : Senior journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu Group of Publications N. Ram has expressed concern over the degression in press freedom in India and the suppression of independent voices.

Addressing a conference on 'Opportunities and Challenges in Regional Media' organised by the Editors Guild of India in collaboration with the Odisha Press Club, N Ram said, "After 2014, India has fallen from 114th place in 2004 to 159th in 2024 in terms of media freedom and autonomy among 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index published annually by Reporters Without Borders (RSF)."

"The central government has made concerted efforts for surveillance and censorship on the internet, social media and technology platforms. The government has certainly carried out illegal surveillance on a large number of journalists, politicians, civil society activists and selected targets using military-grade spyware like Pegasus. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court of India," he remarked.

Downslide In Press Freedom In India Is A Concern,Says N. Ram.
Transparency Essential In Democracy For Safeguard People Country And Democracy.Nothing Should Done Which Affects Sentiment Of People Country And Democracy.Who Is Responsible For Such Situations? https://t.co/mcmotLwOIK

— Ramendra Nath Ray (@RamendraNathRay) October 26, 2024

Mr Ram is the petitioner in a case filed in the Supreme Court seeking an independent probe into mass surveillance using Pegasus. "Shockingly, in the decade from 2014 to 2024, 19 journalists have been killed in connection with their work across India, compared to 11 in the previous decade," the senior journalist said.

"Since 1992, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has documented work-related killings of journalists around the world after careful investigation and strict verification. During the last decade, India has been reported to be one of the most dangerous places for journalists, especially investigative journalists. Reports suggest that communal and other forms of divisive politics and social polarisation across India have made an already bad situation even worse," Mr Ram said.

“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.