press freedom Archives

Press Freedom And Mysterious Disappearance Of ‘Hanuman Bhakt,’

Sayani ChakrabortyJuly 4, 20220

After India was rated 150th out of 180 nations in the World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) 2022, more sober friends asked the same issue. For comparison, China is at 175, Bangladesh is at 162, Russia is at 155, Afghanistan is at 156, and Pakistan is at 157. At 146, Sri Lanka outperforms India, whereas Bhutan (33) and Nepal (76) are both substantially poorer countries. Since 2016, when India was ranked 133rd, its position has steadily slipped. North Korea is ranked at the bottom of the ranking, which includes Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. The World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) is compiled using qualitative and quantitative criteria by a non-profit organisation named Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Authorities in India aren't happy with the technique, particularly the subjective nature of the q...

NewsPolitics

Centre Strikes Out Kashmir Press Club; A Serious Blow To Democracy

Snehashish RoyJanuary 19, 20220

The largest body of independent journalists in the valley, the Kashmir Press Club (KPC), has been permanently shut down and taken over by the Union government. The move is seen as the Centre's crackdown on the journalist fraternity in Kashmir. The valley has been in the news ever since the Union government abrogated its special status under Article 370 of the Indian constitution on August 5, 2019. The move took Kashmir's autonomy and turn it into a Union Territory. Following then, news covering mass detention and human rights abuse against activists and journalists has been frequenting in all corners. Amid the erosion of freedom of the press in the valley, the permanent shutdown of KPC is yet another blow to human rights. Earlier, it was declared elections will be held to ...

ArticleInternationalNews

Fight For Press Freedom Deserves Nobel Peace Prize

SinshaOctober 19, 20210

“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press and that cannot be limited without being lost.” This quote by Thomas Jefferson aptly describes the effect of regulation on the press. Today, the role of media in our daily life has become inimitable. Depriving our society of the right to voice their opinion, or to publish their views and sentiments is incredulous and disastrous. Both the Indian Constitution and the Supreme Court have time and again provided significant value to press freedom. On 8th October, Journalists Dmitri Muratov of Russia and Maria Ressa of the Philippines won the 2021 Nobel Prize for Peace for their courageous fight for freedom of expression. Both of them are deserving personalities who stood for this idea in a "world where democracy and freedom of the press co...