In recent years, journalists have been attacked, intimidated, and the likes of Gauri Lankesh and Shujat Bhakari murdered. Nikita Chatterjee explains how violence, government pressure, paid news, and more have shackled India’s press freedoms and landed a major blot upon our idea of democracy.

- Nikita Chatterjee

On September 5, 2017, Gauri Lankesh was murdered in front of her home. She was fatally shot three times, twice in the chest and once in the back. Lankesh was an outspoken, left wing journalist, and the editor and publisher of a Bangalore weekly, Gauri Lankesh Patrike. Despite a number of arrests being made since in the three years since, Lankesh is yet to receive any true form of justice.

In 2018, renowned journalist Shujat Bhakari—the founding editor of Kashmir’s second largest newspaper The Rising Kashmir—was shot dead in front of his office. Bhakari had survived two assassinations before being slain the third time. Kashmir is a conflict zone wherein any unfavourable coverage is often subdued by warring factions. While reporting for BBC in 2016, Bhakari said “threats to life, intimidation, assault, arrest, and censorship have been part of the life of a typical local journalist.”

Gauri Lankesh and Shujat Bhakari were two journalists who continued to report the news, even in the face of threats and intimidation. And for this, they were both brutally murdered.

No conviction has yet been made in either case; their deaths should make us as a society question the price that our journalists have to pay just for doing their jobs and reporting the truth through the news.

Freedom of Speech in India

Journalism is a central feature of a democratic society. Commonly known across the world as the fourth pillar of democracy, journalists have the responsibility of providing factual newsworthy information to society and to ensure that the country has a well-informed electorate. In India, the legal framework of the freedom of press in a democracy has been inspired by international bodies, including the United Nations and the constitutions of the United States of America and United Kingdom. The Indian constitution Part III. Art.19 guarantees the freedom of speech and expression as a fundamental right of an Indian. The constituent assembly includes the freedom of the press as a component of freedom of expression.

In his draft of the Indian constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar wrote:

“The press is merely another way of stating an individual or a citizen. The press has no special rights which are not to be given or which are not to be exercised by the citizen in his individual capacity. The editor of a press or the manager, are all citizens and therefore when they choose to write in newspapers, they are merely exercising their right of expression and in my judgment, therefore no special mention is necessary of the freedom of the press at all.”

Gauri Lankesh and Shujat Bhakari were two journalists who continued to report the news, even in the face of threats and intimidation. And for this, they were both brutally murdered. Their deaths should make us as a society question the price that our journalists have to pay just for doing their jobs and reporting the truth.

He further added that “No law shall be made abridging the freedom of speech, of the press, of association and of assembly, except for consideration of public order and morality.”

In India, the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press to report has been under attack throughout our history. In present times, however, the attack on journalists and free speech has increased dramatically. In the 2020 World Press Freedom Index released by the Reporters sans Borders, India dropped two positions and its official rank became 142 out of 180 countries. Furthermore, the Committee to Protect Journalists recorded 27 cases in the country wherein journalists were brutally murdered in direct retaliation for their work between 1992-2016. 89% of the journalists who were murdered worked for print media and 56% of these journalists covered cases of corruption.

Attacks on Journalists

If journalists are not brutally murdered outside their homes or offices, there are vicious charges or attacks that happen against them on a regular basis. One of these recent attacks against the free press includes the arrest of Dalit journalist Prashant Kanojia in Uttar Pradesh on August 18th 2020, for his tweet which included a picture of Hindu army leader Sushil Tiwari, with the quote stating that the Ram temple in Ayodhya should not allow for the entry of Dalits, STs and OBC. This was not the first time Kanojia has been arrested for his tweets.

Prior to this there was the attack on three The Caravan journalists Shahid Tantray, Prabhjit Singh and a female journalist who chose to remain unidentified. The trio were reporting a story on the Delhi riots when they were attacked by an alleged Hindutva mob, led by a man who identified himself as a BJP secretary on August 11. Tantray stated one of the factors that instigated the attack was the fact that he was a Muslim. The female journalist amongst the trio also faced sexual harassment and lewd behaviour. All three were also threatened with murder. The attack was condemned by journalists across the country; no arrests have been made, however, despite detailed records of the assault given by the journalists.

On the same day, four journalists—belonging to India Today, News Minute, and Suvarna News 24X7—were also attacked in Bangalore. The journalists were reporting on vandalism and a police shooting, in response to mob violence in the city, when they were attacked by the city police themselves.

In their statement, The Editors Guild of India condemned both the attacks that happened against journalists and demanded that immediate action be taken: “Both attacks are reprehensible. The freedom of the media to discharge its responsibilities without fear or harassment is an important and indispensable attribute of a functioning democracy.” They added that the attacks show “a dangerous trend where communally inspired people can assault and harass journalists with impunity in the presence of an indifferent police.”

In April, a freelance female photojournalist Masarat Zahra was arrested under the UAPA act for her posts on social media. Zahra is a freelance journalist who has written for several national and international organisations on the affairs in Kashmir. The press release by the cyber police station says “received information through reliable sources that one Facebook user namely Masrat Zahra is uploading anti-national posts with criminal intention to induce the youth and to promote offences against public tranquility.” Her arrest was condemned by the Kashmir Press Club who have sought the intervention of Home Minister Amit Shah and LG GC Murmu and Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh to issue a direction that this “harassment” comes to end.

Paid News in India

While there are many brilliant journalists in the country who work towards bringing the news to an audience, there is another fraction of Indian journalism that needs to be evaluated, the loud voices engaging in paid journalism. The Press Council of India defines paid news as “Any news or analysis appearing in any media (print and electronic) for a price in cash or kind as consideration.” Paid journalism in some form has always existed but it has skyrocketed in the recent decade. In 2018, a sting report by the Cobrapost, a non-profit news website and television production house, exposed the manner in which some of India’s biggest news channels accepted bribes as large as five crores to propagate Hindutva ideologies in the community.

In a recent report for The Hindu, veteran journalist P. Sainath elaborated on the extent of paid news in India with an overview of the Maharashtra elections. In Maharashtra, electoral candidates paid a “coverage package” to have their propaganda published as the news. Furthermore, candidates were forced to pay money to even have any coverage of their electoral campaign.

Journalism and Genocide

Apart from paid journalists, there is also the fraction of deplorable would-be journalists who publish reports that have incited violence and genocide. Following the murder of Indira Gandhi in 1984, Doordarshan (which was the only channel at the time) and PUCL’s report had the message “Khoon ka badla khoon” (blood for blood). Eye-witnesses report the same slogan being shouted by mobs who were brutally attacking the Sikh community during the riots which occurred from October 31-November 1 that year.

In a society where the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press is enshrined by the constitution, the price for good press should not be intimidation, assault or death. Incidents like these are a blot on India’s idea of itself, of our celebration of democracy.

The slogan returned during the Gujarat riots in 2002, when the Gujarati newspaper Sandesh released a front-page headline “70 Hindus burnt alive in Godhra” which was followed by the slogan “Khoon Ka Badla Khoon” on February 28, 2002. Instead of any FIR or legal action, Sandesh received acclaim from the then state minister and current prime minister Narendra Modi. Ratings for Sandesh increased immensely following the massacre for its pro-Hindutva ideology.

Influence of Government Advertising on Indian Journalism

Indian media houses are hugely dependent on the government to earn any form of income. The government pays approximately Rs. 900 crores to the print media for advertisements. For the Times Group, which houses Indian largest English-language publication, government advertising accounts for 15% of their revenue. In 2019, the government froze advertising for three major newspaper groups, allegedly as a retaliation for negative press and criticism.

In an interview with Reuters ABP, officials said “Once you do not toe the government line in your editorial coverage and write anything against the government, then the obvious only way to penalise you is to choke your advertising supply.” This is yet another attempt by governing entities to curb the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press in order to meet their propaganda needs.

In a country where it's more profitable for a journalist to earn their means through fake news and paid news, we are fortunate to still have journalists who stand in opposition and provide factual information to the masses. They continue to do so in the face of threats, intimidation and legal attack.

And in some cases, as with Gauri Lankesh and Shujat Bhakari, they are murdered for their truths. In a society where the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press is enshrined by the constitution, the price for good press should not be intimidation, assault or death. Incidents like these are a blot on India’s idea of itself, of our celebration of democracy.

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Nikita Chatterjee is a student of development studies from Azim Premji University. She is working as a freelance journalist and has contributed to various publications. You can follow her on Instagram: @nikitachatterjee10.

The Crumbling Fourth Pillar