Indian tax authorities ‘survey’ media funding organization IPSMF
On the afternoon of September 7, 2022, officials with India’s Income Tax Department conducted a “survey” of the Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation, a philanthropic organization that provides financial support to independent digital news outlets in the country, at the foundation’s office in Bengaluru, the capital of the southern state of Karnataka, according to multiple…
Indian authorities arrest 2 journalists over coverage of leaked school exams; reporters attacked covering Delhi demonstration
New Delhi, April 7, 2022 – Indian authorities should release journalists Ajit Ojha and Digvijay Singh immediately, drop their investigation into journalist Meer Faisal, and ensure that members of the press can work freely and safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On March 30, police in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district arrested Ojha and…
India Today parent company sues media watchdog Newslaundry
New Delhi, October 28, 2021 — The Indian media conglomerate TV Today Network must respect the journalistic right to freedom of expression and should immediately drop its lawsuit against the news website and media watchdog Newslaundry, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On October 19, TV Today Network filed a civil defamation and copyright…
Indian finance authorities raid offices of Newslaundry and Newsclick websites
New Delhi, September 13, 2021 – Indian authorities must stop harassing employees of the news websites Newslaundry and Newsclick and let them work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At about noon on September 10, officials from the national Income Tax Department raided the two outlets’ offices in New Delhi as part of an investigation…
Uttar Pradesh police open criminal investigations into 3 Indian journalists
New Delhi, July 8, 2021 — Authorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh must immediately drop their criminal investigations into journalists Nidhi Suresh, Manoj Shukla, and Yashwant Singh, and cease harassing members of the press over their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 4, police in the state’s Shahjahanpur district…
Times of India parent company sues media watchdog Newslaundry for $13.7 million
New Delhi, January 29, 2021 – The Indian media conglomerate Bennett, Coleman, and Company Limited (BCCL) is undermining its own integrity with a defamation suit against the news website and media watchdog Newslaundry, and should withdraw the suit immediately, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On January 19, BCCL filed a civil defamation suit…
Journalists fighting fake news during Indian election face threats, abuse
The six-week-long voting period in India’s national and provincial elections concluded this week, with results expected on Thursday, according to news reports. For journalists, the campaign has brought a familiar deluge of online abuse.
Modi’s rise does not bode well for Indian press freedom
As India is set to hold elections next month, journalists covering Narendra Modi, India’s right-wing prime ministerial candidate, are reportedly coming under increased pressure online and in the newsroom for shedding critical light on him. Given these developments, free and independent reporting of the campaign is in doubt–as is the future climate for press freedom…