Local Media Under Control, Outsiders Next Targeted

Michael Hedges January 23, 2023 - Follow on Twitter

Censorship is an enduring inclination in certain realms. Acquiring power is difficult, usually, and allowing critics to turn up the heat is painful. With legions at their behest, autocrats can choose who gets, figuratively, that barrel of ink.

Hackles were raised in India last week with the release of a TV documentary by UK public broadcaster BBC. It presented an unflattering picture of nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi, typically averse to criticism. YouTube and social media references to India: The Modi Question were blocked in India under “emergency powers,” reported Sky News (January 23).

The first part of the documentary was broadcast in the UK last week (January 17) on BBC Two. There was no broadcast in India but excerpts were widely shared via social media. The investigative documentary, commissioned independently of the BBC, examines PM Modi’s role in the 2002 Gujarat riots when he served as chief minister of the state. More than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in three days of rioting. Part two, which dives into PM Modi’s “troubled relationship” with the Muslim minority, is set to be broadcast this Tuesday (January 24).

In banning the documentary’s topic from social media and video sharing portals, the Indian government called it “propaganda,” reported VOA (January 21). “The bias, lack of objectivity and continuing colonial mindset is blatantly visible,” said Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. In a follow-up statement, a BBC spokesperson said the documentary was "rigorously researched according to highest editorial standards.” Political opposition figures had their say: "PM (Modi) and his drumbeaters assert that the new BBC documentary on him is slanderous. Censorship has been imposed,” wrote Congress Party leader Jairam Ramesh on social media, quoted by Deutsche Welle (January 22). (See more about censorship here)

Hindu nationalists, broadly represented by PM Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have exerted pressure on Indian media. Coincident with the uproar over the BBC documentary, the professional organization Editors Guild of India complained about the onslaught of censorship. The government has proposed rule making that have the official Press Information Bureau prohibit social media platforms from hosting any information it deemed “fake or false,” reported Al Jazeera (January 19). “Determination of fake news cannot be in the sole hands of the government and will result in the censorship of the press,” said a statement from the newspaper editors group. “This will stifle legitimate criticism of the government and will have an adverse impact on the ability of the press to hold governments to account, which is a vital role it plays in a democracy.”

Adding to the controversy were the recent and noticeable exits of several high profile executives of Indian broadcaster New Delhi Television (NDTV). Near the end of 2022, co-founders Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy resigned after Adani Enterprises, principally controlled by Gautam Adani, took control of the company. Mr. Adani is considered “close” to PM Modi. Shortly thereafter, well-known NDTV news anchor Ravish Kumar said he was leaving. “How can a channel, bought by a corporation whose success is seen to be linked to contracts granted by the government, now criticize the government? It was clear to me I had to quit,” he said to Foreign Policy (December 22). Within two weeks, NDTV president Suparna Singh and two other senior executives vacated their offices, reported Reuters (January 13).

India’s population is soon to rise to the biggest in the world, eclipsing China. The country is often praised as the world’s largest democracy; elections generally unhindered. Press freedom rankings continue to fall. In the 2022 World Press Freedom Index from Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) it was at tepid 150th, down year on year from 142st. It was the worst ranking for India ever, below Hong Kong and above Turkey, safety of journalists driving that ranking lower.

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