India commemorates National Press Day today, November 16, to honour the Press Council of India, a statutory body that keeps an eye on the quality of reportage provided by the Indian Press community. The body acts as a ‘moral’ watchdog to ensure that journalistic objectivity is not compromised or affected by external factors in the country.
To laud the role of media especially during the pandemic, several political leaders took to Twitter to wish journalists on National Press Day.
Greetings on #NationalPressDay. Our media fraternity is working tirelessly towards strengthening the foundations of our great nation. Modi govt is committed towards the freedom of Press and strongly oppose those who throttle it.I applaud Media’s remarkable role during COVID-19.
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 16, 2020
In a message at the webinar on #NationalPressDay by Press Council of India, reiterated that freedom of the press is the cornerstone of our Democracy, but at the same time stressed that it is a responsible freedom. pic.twitter.com/7iosPCl9Xj
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) November 16, 2020
On the occasion of National Press Day, I convey my best wishes to all the journalists. The role of the media in giving voice to the voiceless is commendable.#NationalPressDay pic.twitter.com/PZ93rD9QoJ
— K.C. Ramamurthy (@KCRMBJP) November 16, 2020
Prime Minister @narendramodi’s message on the occasion of #NationalPressDay pic.twitter.com/7p7Rg0TyUx
— PIB India (@PIB_India) November 16, 2020
Vice President addressed a webinar organized by the Press Council of India on the occasion of the National Press Day today.The theme of the webinar was – ‘Role of media during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on media’.#NationalPressDay @PressCouncil_IN @PIB_India pic.twitter.com/y2lm0hI5bp
— Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) November 16, 2020
‘Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy,’ Walter Cronkite, American journalist once said.
While the nation acknowledges the brave and courageous fourth pillar of democracy, many journalists and their future continue to be at the mercy of the judiciary and the government that does not approve of their critical coverage of stories.
Press freedom in India has worsened since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, with authorities targeting reporters, journalists and media organisations for questioning the government. India ranks 142 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, dropping two places from last year.
A Rights and Risks Analysis Group report released on June 15, 2020, revealed that as many as 55 journalists were targeted for covering the Coronvirus pandemic in India between March and May 31. The report said that journalists faced arrest, registration of FIRs, summons or show-cause notices, physical assaults, alleged destruction of properties and threats for doing their job.
While the government claims that it is committed to maintaining press freedom in India and strongly oppose those who throttle it, the reality seems otherwise.
Several journalists including Siddique Kappan, Prashant Kanojia, Aasif Sultan, Patricia Mukhim, Ahan Penkar and many more were put behind bars and charged under anti-terror laws for performing their duty.
The Uttar Pradesh Police in August arrested journalist Prashant Kanojia from his residence in south Delhi for allegedly posting a morphed photograph related to Ram temple in Ayodhya. In an FIR registered by the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow on August 17, the police had alleged that Kanojia’s tweet threatened law and order. He was granted bail by the Allahabad high court two months after his arrest.
In another incident that surfaced in October, a journalist of The Caravan, Ahan Penkar, was thrashed by the Delhi Police inside the Model Town police station in North Delhi. Penkar was covering a protest against the alleged rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in the area when he was attacked and assaulted on October 16 even after he showed his press ID to the cops and told them that he was a journalist.
In the same month, another journalist from Kerala, Siddique Kappan, along with three others, who were arrested by the UP police while they were on their way to Hathras earlier this week, was charged under the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and sedition by the cops. The UP police said that they had received information that some ‘suspicious people’ were on their way to Hathras from Delhi. Following the tip-off, the four men – Siddique Kappan, Atiq-ur Rehman, Masood Ahmed and Alam – were stopped at a toll gate near Mathura and arrested.
In another attack on freedom of the press, Jammu and Kashmir Estates Department on October 19 sealed the office of Kashmir Times in a government building at Press Enclave. The owners of one of the oldest English dailies in Jammu and Kashmir also claimed that ‘no prior notice was given to them’.
Late in October, the International Press…
