DELHI: Indian journalists say press freedom is facing growing pressure under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after police detained dozens of reporters covering recent protests and media organisations raised fresh concerns about government scrutiny and censorship.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that 43 journalists were detained across India over two days in October, most of them in the capital, New Delhi.
Among those detained was journalist Shoaib Daniyal, who was heading to cover a demonstration when he encountered a police checkpoint near his home.
Daniyal told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that an officer became suspicious during a conversation about the protest and threatened to detain him.
He said he was taken away on a bus without being given an explanation.
The detentions have alarmed journalists who say such scenes were once difficult to imagine in a capital with a large media presence.
“Watching police push, pull and carry reporters onto buses” was something journalists interviewed by the ABC said they had never expected to see in Delhi.
Media Under Pressure
India’s position in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index has fallen from 140th in 2019 to 157th out of 180 countries.
Veteran journalist Sreenivasan Jain, who spent three decades reporting for NDTV, said the media had come under increasing pressure during the BJP’s time in power.
He argued that much of India’s television news industry had become less willing to scrutinise the government.
Manisha Pande, editor-in-chief of digital news outlet Newslaundry, compared the country’s prime-time television landscape to having “multiple Fox News” channels.
She said several broadcasters repeatedly echoed government talking points, attacked opposition figures and portrayed protesters as enemies of the country.
The term “Godi media”, commonly used by critics to describe television outlets they consider too close to the government, has become part of the debate over India’s changing media landscape.
Corporate Influence
Journalists also point to corporate ownership and dependence on government advertising as factors shaping editorial decisions.
Jain left NDTV in 2022 after its takeover by the Adani Group, owned by billionaire Gautam Adani, who has a close relationship with Modi.
He said the network’s editorial direction became clear within weeks of the takeover, citing pressure to broadcast an interview given by Adani to a rival television channel.
“I didn’t want, for a second, to be around [those] endorsing those sorts of editorial practices,” Jain told the ABC.
The Indian government has rejected allegations of systematic pressure on the media, maintaining that regulatory and law-enforcement actions are legitimate.
Youth Turn Away
The changing media environment has also fuelled growing distrust among younger audiences, according to Pande.
She said many young Indians were increasingly turning away from mainstream television news, which they believe gives insufficient attention to issues such as education, unemployment and infrastructure.
Independent digital outlets and social media platforms, including YouTube, Instagram and X, have provided alternative spaces for reporting and political commentary.
Political satirist Ramit Verma, who was also detained while covering protests in Delhi, urged citizens to document events and hold those in power accountable.
“Everyone is [a] journalist, especially in India right now, where the mainstream media is so sold out and so dangerous,” he said.
Censorship Concerns
The pressure on journalists extends beyond street protests.
According to the Indian Express, the government ordered nearly 195,000 takedowns of posts on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube between March and July.
Verma said several of his own posts had been removed, often without an explanation.
International media organisations have also faced regulatory requirements to establish Indian entities and employ local staff to continue operating in the country.
Foreign journalists face geographical restrictions, with government permits required to enter certain areas, including Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Meanwhile, proposed data protection legislation has triggered a legal challenge from the Digital News Publishers Association, which represents 21 media organisations.
The publishers have asked India’s Supreme Court to exempt journalists from provisions they say could force reporters to seek permission before using personal information in news coverage, potentially undermining investigative journalism and the protection of sources.
For Daniyal, the detention of reporters in the national capital reflects a broader shift in the climate facing the press.
“For the last 12 years, the fear that journalists feel has really shot up,” he told the ABC.
“This idea that journalists are doing a critical job for democracy, the foundation of that has [been] shaken.”
