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Is govt committed to a free press?

Last Updated 25 September 2017, 18:53 IST
The murder of a television news reporter, Santanu Bhowmik, in Tripura last week has again revealed the dangers that journalists in the country are routinely exposed to. The murder comes within a month of the killing of Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru. The office of a television news channel in Kerala was attacked a few days ago. There have also been other cases of attacks, pressures and threats in many parts of the country. Bhowmik was reporting on the clashes between a CPM-backed tribal organisation and a new tribal body, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT). There are charges and countercharges between the two sides over the murder. The fact remains that the young reporter was kidnapped and beaten to death. The blame game has also become political because Bhaumik represented a news channel with Left leanings and the IPFT is supported by the BJP.

The safety and security of journalists has become a matter of serious concern. Seven journalists have been killed till now this year, as against six last year and five the previous year. India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index is quite low at 136 among 180 countries. That shows how hazardous the pursuit of the profession is, even though freedom of expression is constitutionally guaranteed and free media has a long and strong tradition in the country. It is not only journalists, but bloggers, whistle-blowers, RTI activists, academics and writers who are killed, threatened, harassed or otherwise put under pressure. All this shrinks the space for criticism, free thought and expression and for creative imagination. The atmosphere is becoming more oppressive and intimidating, with all dissent being dubbed “anti-national’’ and smear campaigns being unleashed against those who dare to dissent and pose questions.

Journalists of all persuasions and from all regions are vulnerable to attacks. It is a false notion that those in big cities and in big media organisations are safe while those in small towns or are working for small media houses or regional media bodies only are at risk. The sources of threats and violence are many and varied, and include individuals, gangs, political and other organisations and governments. Most governments have treated the media and journalists as adversaries and have harassed them despite open declarations of full commitment to freedom of press. This is because there is, by definition and in actual practice, an adversarial relationship between power and free press. If governments’ declared commitment to free press is genuine, they should get every case of attack investigated and bring the culprits to book. But in many cases, the governments themselves will be in the dock, and that calls into question their very commitment to democracy.
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(Published 25 September 2017, 17:58 IST)

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