At this juncture, to defend our hard-won rights and freedoms, we need to collectively raise our voice
Two disturbing reports were published last week. One emerged from Washington, D.C. and the other from New Delhi. Both vividly describe the thin ice on which journalists and news organisations, for whom public interest remains the core value, are treading, and the determined state apparatus which expects journalists to behave like a choir.
Shrinking democratic space
In its annual report, Freedom House, a U.S.-based think tank which produces periodic reports on issues related to democracy, political rights and civil liberties, has downgraded India’s status from ‘free’ to ‘partly free’ based on several indicators. In the Freedom House ranking system, where 100 represents a near perfect democracy, India has fallen by four points from 71 last year to 67.
It would be a missed opportunity if we were to read the report as western propaganda. It is not wise to wear a narrow…