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hy does India rank lower than Afghanistan and Somalia in terms of press freedom
With diverse media coverage, press freedom in India seems to be going through a bumpy ride. Despite having the world's largest newspaper market and thousands of news channels, India ranks below Afghanistan and Somalia in press freedom, according to a 2023 report by French NGO Reporters Without Borders. It dropped to 161st place, showing the increasing difficulties and government control over the media.
"Violence against journalists, politically biased media and concentration of media ownership show that press freedom is in crisis in the 'world's largest democracy.'
Since 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have gradually increased their influence over the media, resulting in widespread biased reporting. Behind this situation are multiple incidents of harassment against journalists, which were highlighted in Freedom House’s 2021 report.
"Journalists face growing harassment under Modi government."
As media conglomerates expand and ownership becomes concentrated, self-censorship has become the norm for many news organizations. Many media owners have close political ties to the government or major political parties, which forces many journalists to cater to rather than challenge vested interests.
The rise of social media has provided new platforms for news reporting, but it has also allowed fake news and biased reporting to take root in India's media landscape. According to BBC News' observations, Indian news channels tend to show a single stance in their reporting, almost entirely biased towards the BJP and its nationalist stance.
"Indian news channels, whether in English or Hindi, are mostly biased in reporting news."
The development of print media began with Hicky's Bengal Gazette in the 18th century, and over time, India's media has become more diverse, but this has not increased the independence of its news reporting. Traditional print media are mostly family-owned businesses and often rely on government or corporate sponsorship, which in turn affects the freedom of reporting.
Current Situation and Challenges
Currently, India's news environment faces huge challenges. The concentration of media ownership makes it impossible for most media organizations to effectively monitor government behavior, which is reflected in the lack of independence in external data assessments. Data shows that the number of readers of Hindi newspapers is growing rapidly, while the influence of English newspapers is gradually declining, which may be related to the rapid spread of information on social media.
India has television stations all over the country, with more than 500 satellite channels alone, more than 80 of which are news channels. However, all this does not mean the free flow of information. The operations of the above media are constrained by a large amount of political capital, which has greatly reduced the space for independent reporting.
Even though the Press Council of India is legally established to protect press freedom and standards, in practice its regulatory power is limited in the face of a powerful government. Journalists are particularly exposed to threats, including sexual harassment, attacks and death threats. This atmosphere continues to drive journalists to quietly self-censor and even give up reporting on sensitive topics.
ConclusionFaced with such a complex situation, we can't help but ask: In such an era of rapidly changing information, how can India's media regain its press freedom and let the truth breathe in broad daylight?
