https://countercurrents.org/2022/07/journalists-in-india-face-many-sided-threats/

Cases of arrests and prosecution under widely criticized undemocratic laws, assaults, raids, highly unreasonable restrictions and surveillance have been reported in recent times with frightening regularity. Such harassment by authorities often also exposes the affected journalists to increased trolling, insults, threats and assaults from groups of people very active in such work.  Apart from the distress and harm suffered by those who have been specifically targeted, this creates widespread conditions of fear and intimidation in which it becomes difficult for many journalists to perform their professional duties properly. Conditions of great uncertainty are created in which the progress of media organizations which are true to their true professional responsibilities is badly hindered. The emergence of young talent in journalism of courage and truth gets badly discouraged. Free and courageous media which is a lifeline for a robust, genuine democracy increasingly faces adverse and dismal prospects.

While a more difficult and threatening situation is faced these days generally by most critical and dissenting voices in media, some are more vulnerable than others. As media freedom has declined significantly during the last eight years or so, during the same period problems and threats have also increased for minority communities in India, most particularly for the Muslim community. So it is hardly surprising that journalists belonging to minorities as well as those journalists who have been in the forefront of protecting rights of minorities have found themselves in a more vulnerable situation.

By Bharat Dogra

08/07/2022