Expressing disapproval of a government’s action “cannot be branded as an attempt to promote hatred between different communities”, the Supreme Court said Thursday while quashing an FIR against Patricia Mukhim, the editor of Shillong Times, over a social media post about an incident of assault on some non-tribal youth in Meghalaya last year. A bench of… Read More SC stands up for voicing disapproval, backs editor Patricia Mukhim
Independent media outlets in Belarus have been through a lot during the past 27 years of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s dictatorship. Newspapers have been closed down and websites blocked, while journalists have faced civil and criminal prosecution, beatings. Several have even been murdered. Yet Lukashenka’s relationship with the country’s media has varied over time. Frosty periods have been… Read More Igor Ilyash: How Lukashenka declared war on Belarusian journalists
NB: What is it with the UK tabloid press + royalty’s obsession with skin colour? They seem demented. But who are we to talk, with our pet paranoia about caste pollution or religious identity. What part of the media works to heal the scars, rather than pour salt on them? DS The story of modern… Read More Kate Williams: The behaviour towards Meghan shows Britain learned nothing from Princess Diana's treatment
The leaking of the alleged Report of Group of Ministers (GoM) on Government Communications is an exceptional event for a government that prides itself in being successfully opaque. Reminiscent of McCarthyism, the report suggests “neutralising” journalists who write against the government and spread “false narratives”. An incredible proposal from an establishment journalist suggests that journalists… Read More Bharat Bhushan: Nervous government explores ways to 'manage' media
On 26 January, India celebrated the anniversary of its constitution, which 74 years ago promised citizens a secular, democratic state and justice, equality and liberty for all. But as the traditional Republic Day parade took place in New Delhi’s centre, across the city those very values were being violated in the most egregious manner. Hundreds… Read More Martand Kaushik, Ahan Penkar: Reporting is not a crime. So why has India’s government charged our magazine?
The inspiring documentary, “Writing with Fire,” premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, chronicles the impact Dalit women in the Uttar Pradesh state of India have had reporting for “Khabar Lahariya,” a newspaper and website. The journalists, who are in the lowest caste in India, have been working for nearly two decades, despite being told what… Read More In "Writing With Fire," reporters from India's lowest caste defy the patriarchy to seek justice
NB: ‘The government cannot feign ignorance of the allegations as Goswami’s chats celebrate the Pulwama terrorist strike, about which he says, “with this attack we have won like crazy”. This could lead to conspiracy theories about the Pulwama terrorist strike which resulted in the death of 40 security personnel…’ Only one question needs to be asked of… Read More Bharat Bhushan: 'Arnabgate' undermines the Modi govt's national security narrative
The year 2020 has been a bad one for journalists in India. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused illness and death, and the lockdown resulted in salary cuts and loss of livelihood due to mass retrenchments effected by media houses. The killing and attacks on journalists have continued unabated. While self-censorship within the media remained an… Read More Behind Bars: Arrests and Detentions of Journalists in India 2010-2020
On 15 January, over a thousand pages of the charge-sheet filed by the Mumbai Police in the TRP scam case were leaked to the press. They contain transcripts of alleged private WhatsApp chats between Partho Dasgupta, former CEO, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the body responsible for measuring and publishing the Television Rating Point (TRP)… Read More MONICA DHANRAJ: What do Arnab Goswami’s WhatsApp Leaks Tell us About the State of our Democracy?
NB: The Greek word hubris, conveys the sense of overweening pride, arrogance before the gods. The punishment adequate to this sin derives its name from nemesis, the goddess who exacts retribution from those who succumb to hubris. It is not just defeat in an election that Mr Modi’s friend (remember Howdy Modi?) the ruthless sociopath and ignoramus Donald Trump… Read More Pamela Philipose: If the Media Fails to Read the Farm Struggle Right, Irrelevance Awaits
After the truth-shower 