The complaint has deepened that journalists are being harassed. That is why the RSF has to demand that the Indian government should respect freedom of expression and release any journalist detained for critical reporting.
India was ranked 142nd last year in the World Press Freedom Index. According to the index released now, it has slipped to the 150th place. Those who keep an eye on the press in India will not be surprised by this news. Rather, in this they will only see the confirmation of their belief. This index has been prepared by the French-based organization Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF). “On World Press Freedom Day, Reporters Without Borders and nine other human rights organizations urge Indian authorities to stop targeting journalists and online critics for their work,” it said in a statement after releasing its latest report. World Press Day was observed on 3 May.
“Prosecution of journalists especially under terrorism and sedition laws should be stopped,” the RSF statement said. Obviously, this has happened in India and continues to happen. The perception about the second mainstream media has deepened that it is working according to the agenda of the ruling party. In fact, the term ‘Godi Media’ has become very popular today for this part of the media. On the other hand, the complaints about journalists or media organizations doing uncomfortable reporting for the government have deepened that they are harassed. That is why the RSF has had to demand that the Indian authorities should respect the right to freedom of expression and release any journalist detained for critical reporting.
The government should stop targeting such journalists and throttling independent media. The message of this index is that India’s image in the international world has now become that of a country where doing real journalism is a risky job. Clearly, this image will improve only if widespread attacks on dissent are prevented along with targeting journalists. The reality is that job insecurity among journalists has increased in India and there has been a sharp increase in attacks on press freedom. The reaction of three Indian organizations – Indian Women’s Press Club, Press Club of India and Press Association – on the RSF report is noteworthy that ‘journalists have been imprisoned under harsh laws for minor reasons and on some occasions they have been known on social media. Threatened to kill.
