Indian media “has been shackled and subjected to a systemic strategy to cripple it”, according to the 23rd Annual South Asia Press Freedom Report 2024-25. The report, titled ‘Frontline Democracy: Media and Political Churn’, flags several concerning trends, including a “growing trust deficit in media outlets”, “choking of independent websites” and the extreme precarity of gig workers who are also having to contend with the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The report reviews the state of press freedom in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives. Noting that Pakistan is “for all intents and purposes an authoritarian regime operating under the guise of democracy”, the study pointed out that it witnessed the “most violent year for journalists in the country in two decades with eight journalists killed in the period under review.”
Highlighting that most governments in South Asia have failed to reverse the “ever increasing levels of impunity for crimes against journalists”, the report reveals details of the “horrific murder of Mukesh Chandrakar in Bastar”, who was abducted, murdered and buried in a septic tank.
Self-censorship issues
In a section devoted to India titled ‘India: Propaganda and the Press’, the report flagged the proliferation of hate speech and disinformation with the “IT cells” of political parties playing a big role. Noting that “the legal environment for the press has become increasingly hostile in recent years”, the report pointed to the use of “defamation laws, sedition charges, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)” to curb media freedom. “Journalists and media houses have faced legal challenges for publishing reports critical of the government, which has led to self-censorship within the industry, following a chilling effect,” it said.
“Every authoritarian effort is being made to crush those who seek to hold power to account — crackdowns on media houses; surveillance, intimidation and harassment of journalists, filing of police cases; arbitrary detentions; and the unleashing of raids by the Income Tax Department, and the Enforcement Directorate that oversees financial crimes,” the report stated, adding that “withholding government advertisements are routine avenues to harass media houses.” Further, the “ongoing mauling of freedom of speech and expression is being done on grounds of national security, maintaining public order, or preventing misinformation,” the report said.
It referenced the Global Risks Report 2024, which has found “manipulated and falsified information” to be the “most severe short-term risk the world faces”, and identifies “India as having the highest risk of misinformation and disinformation globally”.
‘Shrunken job market’
The report also dwells on other challenges facing the media, in India specifically and South Asia in general. These include the media workforce reeling under a “shrunken job market”, the “growing use of AI for content creation”, decline in advertisement revenue, new labour codes encouraging contract work, restructuring of corporate media houses because of mergers and acquisitions, and the worsening precarity of freelance journalism.
On the flip side, the report noted that the media’s digital transition has also presented new opportunities, especially for “growing alternative media as a counterbalance to the stagnating legacy media”.
Published - May 10, 2025 01:48 am IST
