India slips two places and now stands at 140 among 180 countries in the 2019 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders on Thursday, April 18.
“Threats, insults and attacks are now part of the “occupational hazards” for journalists, the report says. It noted that at least six journalists were killed in 208 in India” the report read.
The World Press Freedom Index report on India talked about various issues. It noted the murders of journalists in India “highlighted the many dangers they face, especially those working for non-English-language media outlets in rural areas.”
It writes, “Attacks against journalists by supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi increased in the run-up to general elections in the spring of 2019. Those who espouse Hindutva, the ideology that gave rise to Hindu nationalism, are trying to purge all manifestations of “anti-national” thought from the national debate. The coordinated hate campaigns waged on social networks against journalists who dare to speak or write about subjects that aggravate Hindutva followers are alarming and include calls for the journalists concerned to be murdered. The campaigns are particularly virulent when the targets are women”
Reporters Without Borders also picked up the #MeToo movement, that stormed India in October 2018 in their report, it said, “The emergence of a #MeToo movement in the media in 2018 has lifted the veil on many cases of harassment and sexual assault to which women reporters have been subjected.”
The report further read that the coverage of “sensitive” areas like Kashmir remained difficult and more so for foreign reporters.
“Foreign reporters are barred from Kashmir and the Internet is often disconnected there. When not detained, Kashmiri journalists working for local media outlets are often the targets of violence by paramilitaries acting with the central government’s tacit consent.”
The report says, is often used to gag journalists critical of the authorities, including the invocation of Section 124A, under which “sedition” is punishable by life imprisonment.
Norway maintained its number 1 position, while Finland jumps to second, surpassing Sweden and Netherlands. Pakistan, which was earlier a spot below India, losses two spots and is now placed at 142. Turkmenistan slipped to the last spot, replacing North Korea who is now at number 170. China stands at 177.
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