CHAPTER SIX FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN INDIA:...

CHAPTER SIX

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN INDIA: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND

CHALLENGES

CHAPTER 6

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN INDIA: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

India is ranked 140th out of 180 countries in the 2014 Reporters Without Borders

press freedom index (Available at: http://en.rsf.org.Acceessed on: 15/5/2014). The

challenges to press freedom in India arise from restrictions imposed by the owners of

newspapers, Government, political parties, business interests, etc., who may attempt

to compel newspapers to compromise their independence.The ownership of

newspapers in India in the years 2011-2012 shows that the government owns 0.71

percent of the newspapers in the country. Individuals own 80.67 percent, firms or

partners own 1.13 percent, Joint Stock Companies own 12.85 percent, Societies or

Associations own 2.5 percent, Trusts own 1.95 percent and others own 0.4 percent of

the newspapers(see Appendix II).Legitimate criticism and fearless reporting by the

journalists often engender threats and harassment not only at the hands of the

authorities but also terrorists and criminal gangs. Independent reporting of journalists

leads to attacks on journalists, their arrest, fine, imprisonment, kidnapping and even

murder. In this way, journalists have to face many challenges in performingtheir

professional duties.

An attack on a paper or those connected with it editorially or in management with a

view to pressurising or intimidating them for the opinion expressed in the paper,

constitutes a gross interference with the freedom of the press. Tendencies to coerce

newspapers to desist from publishing facts or toe a particular line are matters of

concern for freedom of the press. The implication of a journalist of a newspaper in a

fabricated case by the police authorities or his harassment and victimization for his

criticalwritings amounts to interference in the freedom of the press. Raids on

newspaper offices by unruly mobs also interfere with the freedom of the press. The

same applies to blockade of newspaper offices. Seizure of camera and removal of film

by police from a press Photographer while covering the news amounts to preventing

the journalist from performing his duties. Filing of motivated frivolous cases against a

journalist amounts to interfering with his functions. Any attempt by a politician to

browbeat a reporter into toeing his line in the matter of reporting is inconsistent

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Freedom of the Press in India: Contemporary Issues and Challenges

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withfreedom of the press.Disaccreditation and withdrawal of housing facilities from a

newspaper correspondent because of articles/news items, written by him amounts to

an attempt to pressurize the correspondent and, therefore, the press(Available

at:http://presscouncil.nic.in.Accessed on:24/12/2013).

6.1Advertisements and Press Freedom

Advertisements released by the government departments and private companies

constitute an important source of income to a newspaper. Denial of advertisements

severely affects the earning of papers, particularly those in the small category. It also

amounts to a concealed attempt at interference with the freedom of the press.The use

of executive powers in order to tame critical newspapers has a long history in India.

When Morarji Desai, a staunch prohibitionist, was Congress Chief Minister of

Bombay province, he ordered the stoppage of government advertisements to the

Times of India as punishment for its criticism of the dry law (Raghavan,

1994:211).The giving or withholding of advertisements, whether by individuals or by

the government, constitutes a threat tothe liberty of the Press. This is especially so in

case of the government since it is the trustee of public funds and, therefore, bound to

utilize them without discrimination.Government can frame its policy of placing

advertisements based on objective criteria. But this should be based upon publicly

stated principles without taking into consideration the editorial policy of the paper

(PCI Annual Report, 1970:45).

6.2Impropriety and Press Freedom

It is improper to offer an inducement such as invitations to luxury events and press

trips to a journalist and for the journalist to accept such an inducement. In the event of

improper inducement being offered by the government the situation would be worse,

since, then the media would become an arm of the government (PCI Annual Report,

1970:45). A journalist cannot be pressured to divulge his source of information.

Journalists are often placed under surveillance by intelligence agencies to find out

their contacts who serve as their personal and confidential sources of information

(PCI Review, 1983:53).

Some of the principles evolved by the Council through its adjudications with respect

of journalistic impropriety are:Any matter discussed or disclosed in confidence ought


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not to be published without obtaining the consent of the source. If the editor finds that

the publication is in the public interest, he should clarify it in an appropriate footnote

that the statement or discussion in question was being published, although it had been

made "off the record".

An advertisement containing anything unlawful or illegal or the one which is contrary

to good taste or journalistic ethics or propriety should not be published.Proper care

should be taken by newspapers in maintaining accuracy in respect of

quotations.Where a newspaper is charged with violation of journalistic ethics, a plea

that it has ceased publication will afford the editor no defence, since it is his conduct

which is subject of the complaint (Available at:http://presscouncil.nic.in.Accessed on:

24/12/2013).

6.3Paid News and the Press Freedom

News and information must be clearly set apart from advertisements or commercials

that are paid for by corporate houses, governments or individuals. When the

distinction between news and advertisements start blurring, when advertisements,

double up as news that have been paid for, or when news is published or broadcast in

favour of a particular politician or a political party by selling editorial space, the

reader or the viewer is misled or duped into believing that an advertisement or

sponsored feature is a news story that is truthful, fair and objective (PCI report on

paid news, 2010:9). Available at: http://samajawad.blogspot.in.Accessed on:

18/2/2014).

Payment of money by candidates of elections to representatives of media companies

for favourable coverage is a phenomenon popularly known as “paid news”. The

deception or fraud that such “paid news” entails takes place at three levels. The reader

of the publication or the viewer of the television program is deceived into believing

that what is essentially an advertisement is in fact, independently produced news

content. By not officially declaring the expenditure incurred on planting “paid news”

items, the candidate standing for election violates the Conduct of Election Rules,

1961, which are meant to be enforced by the Election Commission of India under the

Representation of the People Act, 1951. Finally, by not accounting for the money

received from candidates, the concerned media company or its representatives are

violating the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 as well as the Income Tax Act,

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1961, among other laws. The phenomenon of paid news goes beyond the corruption

of individual journalists and media companies. It has become pervasive, structured

and highly organized and in the process, is undermining democracy in India by

influencing free and fair elections (PCI report, 2010:2).

6.4Terrorism and the Press Freedom

Eleven journalists were killed in India in 2013; putting it in third position in the

International Press Institute’s (IPI) list of media personnel killed across the world

during the year (Available at:https://maninblue1947.wordpress.com. Accessed on:

12/5/2013).Freedom of speech and expression in India is threatened by direct physical

attacks from both security forces and terrorist groups. With the emergence of foreign-

aided terrorism in Chattisgarh and Kashmir in the late 1980’s, the Press found itself

between these two fires. Terrorists are lawless and enforce their will brutally on

newspapers and the response of the government is such that it sometimes results in

army excesses on journalists whom they regard as the mouthpiece of terrorists

(Raghvan, 1994:214-215). The civil unrest witnessed in Kashmir negatively impacted

the Press. The authorities in Kashmir imposed restrictions on it. The International

Federation of Journalists (IFJ) was deeply concerned by continuing reports of the

harassment and violent intimidation of journalists in Dantewada district in the Bastar

region of Chhattisgarh State in central India (PCI annual report, 2010-2011:34).

Police personnel, political, social or religious groups, the mafia or militant and

terrorist outfits often react to media criticism by organizing physical attacks on

journalists and press establishments, the distributors of newspapers and distributing

agencies and also by seizing and destroying copies of the newspapers in question.

Several journalists have been killed and illegal arrests and detentions, beatings in

police stations, etc., are the order of the day. Some governments and public authorities

have even gone to the extent of denying advertisements, delaying payment of

advertisement bills, suspending and withdrawing accreditation passes and even

illegally ordering stoppage of the publication of newspapers (Sawant, 1998:12).

6.5Communalism, Casteism and the Press Freedom

India is a multi-religious, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual society. It is

commonly accepted that India’s strength lies in its acceptance of the principle of

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secularism, but this strength has been undermined by communal and caste violence

and the secularism has been challenged. The Press leaves a powerful impression on

the minds of the readers. Therefore, it has a great potential to promote national

integration and communal and caste harmony which is the need of the hour. In this

respect, it can play a positive role. Through its adjudications, the Press Council has

often appealed to the press to exercise due care and caution while reporting communal

incidents or matters likely to hurt religious or caste sentiments. The press should

report news, incidents and stories in such a way as having the positive effect of

promoting national unity and emotional integration.Scurrilous and inflammatory

attacks should not be made on communities and individuals. Spreading rumours,

giving provocative headlines, distorting news favouring one community, exaggerating

reports about a particular community and defaming some communities must be

avoided during riots. Omitting the names of communities during communal and caste

tensions, is a healthy practice and should be encouraged (PCI Annual report 2010-

2011:74).

6.6Newsprint and the Press Freedom

A potent instrument for bringing the Press under pressure is the government’s control

over the import, allocation and pricing of the newsprint of which domestic production

is short of need. India’s First Press Commission (1952-54) noted: “ During the period

of war, newsprint shortages acted as a clamp on circulation, but once supplies were

freed, there has been a rapid and welcome increase in the circulation of both English

and Indian language newspapers”(Raghavan, 1994:212-213).

6.7Case Studies

Contemporary issues and challenges to freedom of the press in India are studied

through the perceptions and experiences of journalists collected fromtwenty four case

studies, including four key informantspresented below.

Case Study no. 1 (Key Informant)

He is a 50 year old executive editor of India Legal who has 30 years experience as a

journalist in many magazines and newspapers. He believes that he has only partial

freedom. The government tries to pressure the journalists, but a lot of journalists are

able to resist the pressure and do independent reporting. The Press is not fully free


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from business companies, but there are enough journalists and media organizations

which attempt to do independent reporting. Anyway the news gets into the public

domain even though it is against the business companies. He thinks that the journalists

indirectly obey the wishes of the owners by not publishing news, which the owners do

not like and in this way do self-censorship. As for the restrictions on the publication

of news, he says that such restrictions are in cases where there is pressure for not

mentioning the names of some companies in order to save their reputation. Criminal

gangs and business interests are the sources of threat and harassment of journalists.

This case believes that journalists are put under surveillance through mobile tapping,

being followed and by audio-video taping. He mentions arrest, imprisonment and fine

as the risks which journalists face while performing their professional activities. He

also names judiciary, organized crimes and terrorism as the most difficult for the

investigative journalists to cover. In answering to the question on the effect of

advertisements on the freedom of the press, he says that they definitely affect. He

insists that basically in the recent decade there has been a lot of interference by the

marketing department of newspapers and magazines on editorial content. It is not

difficult to get the government permission to start a newspaper. The most important

news which is not covered because of pressure is supposed to be about the poor

section of the society like the farmers and then is news of minorities and scheduled

castes. Suppression of minority rights and defence scandals are also the important

items which are sometimes not covered in the newspapers. Religious issues and

human rights violations in disputed regions are regarded as sensitive in his newspaper.

In answer to the question regarding enforcement of laws on freedom of the press, he

says they are always enforced, but those who violate press freedom are sometimes

prosecuted and sometimes not.

He Believes that availability of news print in decades of 70’s and 80’s affected

independence of newspapers because the government was the sole importer of

newsprint, but nowadays it does not affect because newspapers can buy newsprint

from anywhere they want without mediation of the government. He claims that he has

been invited to luxury events or press trips by some companies. He also accepts that

journalists are paid in cash or in kind by someone other than their employers in order

to influence them. He thinks that defamation laws are not an obstacle to press

freedom, but interpretations by different courts has led to delays and problems for the


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press. In this way it can be a threat to press freedom. As for the effectiveness of the

Press Council in regulating the press, he says it has not been effective because it

cannot punish anybody and so nobody cares about it. He believes that pollution, and

news about poor people are not sufficiently covered in the print media, but issues

related to celebrities, politics and cricket have too much coverage because of their

entertainment value for the readers.

Case Study no. 2 (Key informant)

He is a 45 year old special correspondent from Amar Ujala who has 17 years

experience as a journalist in television and some newspapers. He declares that he has

partial freedom in his work which can be said to be full freedom compared to other

countries. He claims that there is no direct pressure on journalists from the

government, but government manipulates with editors to control some items of news.

The example he mentioned is one home minister who indirectly put pressure on some

journalists through editors of newspapers. The press is not independent from business

companies because printing and running a newspaper is a big business and the main

source of revenue of a newspaper group is from advertisements. All newspapers are

privately run and in order to earn advertisements the newspapers sometimesyield to

the demands of business companies. Journalists surrender to pressure exerted by the

owners of newspapers because they have to save their job. He mentions his own

experience that he had to leave his previous job because his editors decided to censor

some of the news he had given for publication. There was a hint and that his services

were not needed and he understood the hint. He claims that no restrictions are placed

on the publication of news, because in critical situations, there are some ethical rules

for not giving that news which will inflate the tension in critical times like communal

riots and extremist violence. He believes that the main sources of harassment to

journalists are business interests, criminal gangs and terrorists and says that the two

first sources might harass the journalists but the terrorists directly kill them. He says

that he has himself felt the harassment by a mafia don turned politician.

This case agrees that there is surveillance of journalists, but it is difficult to know how

and when it is done. Most of the time is to find out the sources of news. The risks

which journalists face in performing their duties, depends on the situation, but mostly

it is the risk of physical attack. According to him, government, army and organized


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crimes are difficult for the investigative journalists to cover. He also mentions that

journalists cannot directly criticize the judiciary, but they can talk and write about

decisions of the judiciary. He believes that up to some extent publishing of

advertisements affect the freedom of the press, but also declares that if there is no

advertisement there is no newspaper and newspapers pay salaries of journalists from

revenues of advertisements. Getting government permission to start a newspaper is

very easy. There are only some problems regarding resources and address proof

which can be solved. He thinks that almost all issues are covered by the press except

intelligence and business related news which may be suppressed because of pressure.

This means that there is no issue in his newspaper which is regarded as sensitive and

taboo. Laws regarding freedom of the press are almost enforced. He believes that

those who violate freedom of the press are not prosecuted because there is no clear

law as such to prosecute them. Moreover, curbing press freedom is not a crime in

India for which there should be a need for prosecution.

He declares that, up to some extent availability of newsprint affect the independence

of the newspapers because every newspaper is dependent on the government to get

the newsprint. He accepts that he has been invited to press trips. He adds that there are

news trips by the corporate houses, but there is no compulsion to report according to

their interests. Private companies invite journalists to luxury events and press trips.

Journalists are sometimes paid by someone other than their employer, but it is not

very common. As for defamation laws, he believes that they are an obstacle to

freedom of the press, because they require a proof for every story reported by

journalists. Press Council is effective in regulating the press only up to some extent.

PCI concerns about press freedom, but this body can be made more effective if it gets

more teeth. Social issues like population control, migration in rural areas are not

sufficiently covered by the print media. He declares that the media have failed to

make poverty, population control and unemployment as national issues, but rather

politics, Bollywood and cricket become its preoccupation.


She is a 55 year old associate editor of the Hindu and has 34 years experience in

different newspapers as a journalist. She thinks that she has partial freedom in her

newspaper and journalists are facing more and more restrictions in their work. The


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governments often put pressure on journalists. She thinks that the press is not

independent from the business companies at all. Lately business houses have been

trying to get stakes in several newspapers and TV. channels which impact the

independence of newspapers. Journalists yield to pressures exerted on them by the

owners of newspapers because most of them are on contract and so they have no

choice but to yield. Restrictions are placed on the publication of news during election

times, regional clashes, and extremist violence. Political parties in general and

criminal gangs and terrorists in conflict areas are the sources of threat or harassment

to journalists.

This case study declares that journalists are put under surveillance, especially those

who cover sensitive bits of news by tapping of phones and being watched. Journalists

face all risks of murder, arrest and physical attack depending on the type of news they

are reporting. Terrorism and communal riots are the most difficult matters for the

investigative journalists to cover. She claims that publishing of advertisements affect

the freedom of the press in the long run. In smaller local newspapers there are reports

of a quid-pro-quo between advertisers and newspapers that the advertisers give

advertisements to newspapers and the newspapers publish news in the interest of

advertisers. Nowadays, there is a new threat to freedom of the press from the paid

news which has become a reality during election times. She believes that there is not

much difficulty in getting government permission to start a newspaper or magazine.

Investigative stories about corruption, state sponsored terrorism and business are

perhaps suppressed or not covered because of pressure. They do not consider anything

taboo and sensitive in their newspaper and every issue is covered. Laws regarding

freedom of the press are mostly implemented by the courts, but those who violate

press freedom are not prosecuted generally.

She emphasizes that availability of newsprint in large newspapers does not affect

much the independence of newspapers, but it may affect smaller newspapers.

Invitations and press trips are mostly sponsored by companies and here is a policy in

her newspaper that if a journalist goes out on a sponsored trip, it is mentioned at the

end of report in the published article and the reader knows that it is a sponsored story.

Payment to journalists by someone other than their regular employer is an unethical

practice which is said to be prevalent among a section of journalists but it must be

strongly disapproved. Defamation laws are not an obstacle to freedom of the press.


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Press Council does not have enough teeth to regulate the press. In her view,

development news, especially poverty related news, population control and issues

regarding rural areas are not sufficiently covered in the print media. On the other side,

news related to politics, religion and lifestyle are covered too much in the Indian print

media.


He is a 53 year old associate editor from the Hindu who has 30 years of experience in

different newspapers as a journalist. He thinks that he has full freedom in his

professional activity. About the pressures of the government on the press, he says that

the pressures are there, but most of the times can be ignored. For example the

government can exert pressure through its advertisement policy. The press is

relatively independent from business companies, because there are many companies

in the corporate sector in India, which means there are many advertisements and the

pressures are not as serious as they can be with few companies. He thinks that

journalists yield to pressures exerted on them by the owners of newspapers to a large

extent, because their job is dependent on them. The owners expect journalists not to

write things that will threaten their interests or the political party favoured by them.

He believes that restrictions are placed on the publication of news during regional

clashes and extremist violence. In his view, political parties, corporate houses, and

terrorists are sources of threat or harassment to journalists. The army can also be a

source of harassment to journalists if things written about it are seen as being against

its interests.

This case study believes that journalists are put under surveillance by intelligence

agencies through phone and email tapping. Murder, kidnapping, imprisonment and

physical attack are always the risks for the journalists while performing their

professional activity. Army and judiciary are the most difficult for the investigative

journalists to cover. Publishing of advertisements affect the freedom of the press and

it depends on how much a newspaper earns its revenues from advertisements. Getting

government permission to start a newspaper is not difficult. According to him,

suppression of minority rights, defence scandals and intelligence related news are

sometimes suppressed or not covered because of pressure. Army and human rights

issues in disputed regions are likely to be regarded as sensitive and so taboo in his


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newspaper and are not reported. He says that laws regarding freedom of the press are

enforced and in India laws are relatively better, but there are very few cases of people

being prosecuted for violating press freedom.

He says that availability of newsprint affects the independence of newspapers,

because 60 percent of the cost of a newspaper is newsprint. He accepts that journalists

receive invitations from corporations and embassies to luxury events and press trips

and naturally it affects their reporting. It sometimes happens that a journalist is paid

by someone other than his regular employer and such payments do affect their

freedom. He says that defamation laws are not an obstacle to press freedom. Press

Council is not effective in regulating the press, because it has no powers. It can be

made more effective by giving more powers to it. For him, poverty, unemployment

and issues related to scheduled castes are not sufficiently covered in the print media

and cricket, Bollywood and politics are covered too much in the Indian press.

Case Study no. 5

He is a 58 year old assistant editor from the Statesman and has 33years experience as

a journalist in different newspapers. He says that he has partial freedom in his

professional activity. About the pressure from the government on the press, he

mentions that the pressure is covertly exerted through the owners of newspapers. He

thinks that the press is not independent from business companies because all

newspapers are dependent on advertisements. In answer to the question regarding

yielding to the pressures exerted on the journalists by the owners of newspapers, he

says that it is difficult to be independent as long as the journalists are paid by the

owners. Restrictions are placed on the publication of news during regional and

communal clashes, and extremist violence. During such critical times, the government

appeals to journalists that sensitive information must be withheld from publication as

it may exacerbate violence. For him, major threats to journalists are from business

interests, criminal gangs and terrorists.

He admits that journalists are put under surveillance by phone tapping and being

followed. Physical attack, kidnapping and sometimes arrest are the risks that

journalists face while performing their duties. Investigative journalists have difficulty

in covering terrorism, organized crimes and judiciary. Publishing of advertisements

has a bearing on freedom of the press because advertisements affect revenues of


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newspapers. It is not difficult to get government permission to start a newspaper and

only registration is needed for it. This senior journalist believes that news related to

political parties, and intelligence related news aresupposed to be suppressed because

of pressure. Likewise, defence scandals and religious issues are perhaps regarded as

taboo in his newspaper and are not reported. Laws regarding freedom of the press are

enforced, but prosecution of those who violate press freedom is negligible.

This case believes that availability of newsprint does not affect the independence of

newspapers because it is easily available at any time. Business companies, political

parties, and foreign embassies invite journalists to luxury events and press trips, but it

does not affect news reporting. He accepts that journalists are sometimes paid by

someone other than their regular employer, but it is very rare. It only happens at

election times when it comes under paid news. This senior journalist believes that

defamation laws are not an obstacle to freedom of the press. Press Council of India is

effective in regulating the press to some extent because its role is advisory and not

punitive. Development, poverty and environmental pollution are the issues which are

not sufficiently covered in the print media. On the contrary, politics, cricket and

fashion are covered too much in the Indian print media.

Case Study no. 6

Case no. 6 is a female 43 year old senior editor from the Times of India who has 21

years of working experience as a journalist. She claims that she has a lot of freedom

in her work except a few occasions. There is no pressure from the government side,

even though their newspaper carries many anti - government stories. The press cannot

be totally independent from business companies, but it is a balancing act in which the

companies can exert pressure on newspapers through advertisements but the

newspapers can carry negative stories about companies. Owners exert pressure on

journalists indirectly and journalists have to yield to it because their job is threatened.

As for restrictions placed on the publication of news, she says that there are no

restrictions but the journalists are recommended not to incite violence. Regarding the

sources of threat or harassment to journalists, she says that it is by political parties and

criminal gangs.

This case believes that journalists are not put under surveillance and imprisonment

and physical attack are the risks journalists face while performing their duties.


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Advertisements affect the freedom of the press. It is not difficult to get government

permission to start a newspaper. There is no limitation in covering the news but

suppression of minority rights and business related news are sometimes not covered

because of pressure. There are not sensitive issues in her newspaper which are likely

not to be reported except religious issues and demands of separatists. Laws regarding

press freedom are supportive and those who violate press freedom are prosecuted.

He believes that availability of newsprint limits freedom of the press because the cost

of newsprint is high, and so it affects the newspaper revenues. She declares that she

and her colleagues are sometimes invited to luxury events and press trips and it affects

press freedom to some extent. She is not paid by someone other than her regular

employer, but there are reports that some journalists are being paid particularly those

in small newspapers. Defamation laws are not an obstacle in her freedom of writing,

but they may be an obstacle in writing about politics. Press Council is not effective in

regulating the press. She believes that poverty of rural people, minority issues and

development issues are not sufficiently covered in the print media and issues related

to Bollywood, fashion and fashion are reported too much.

Case Study no. 7

Case no.7 is a 44 year old male journalist from the Pioneer who has 22 years

experience as a journalist in the print media and TV channels. He says that he has

partial freedom in his professional activity. Some organizations might put pressure on

journalists instead of government. The press is not independent from business

companies and journalists often yield to the pressures exerted on them by the owners

of newspapers. Restrictions are placed on the publication of news during communal

riots and cast tensions. Terrorists and business interests are the biggest sources of

threat or harassment to journalists.

He believes that journalists are sometimes put under surveillance and they face

kidnapping and murder while performing their professional activities. According to

him, matters related to business companies as well as military affairs are the most

difficult for the investigative journalists to cover. Publishing of advertisements always

affect the freedom of the press because of advertisements’ role in revenues of

newspapers. It is not difficult to get government permission to start a newspaper or

magazine. News related to business and intelligence and defence scandals are


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suppressed or not covered by his newspaper. Demands of separatists and defence

scandals are sometimes regarded as sensitive and so taboo and arenot reported by his

newspaper. At the times of communal riots, the press usually does self censorship, so

that it does not publish news likely to incite passions in order to control the critical

situation. In this way, the press helps the government to calm down the situation. In

his view, laws regarding freedom of the press are often enforced and those who

violate press freedom are sometimes prosecuted.

This case claims that the availability of newsprint does not affect the independence of

newspapers. He admits that he or his colleagues receive invitations to luxury events,

but it does not mean that such invitations affect the objectivity of their reporting. Such

invitations are a part of their work. Sometimes journalists are paid by someone other

than their regular employer, particularly during the election times, mostly by political

activists in order to receive more news coverage by the newspapers. Freedom of the

press is affected by defamation laws. The Press Council is not effective in regulating

the press, and there is no need that more power is given to it. Coverage of pollution,

population control and unemployment is negligible in the print media. Conversely, the

coverage of celebrities, fashion, religion, and cricket are too much in the print media.

Case Study no. 8

He is a 41 year old special correspondent from The Indian express who has 18 years

of experience as a journalist. He says that, he has partial freedom in his professional

activities. He continues that government pressurizes the press by giving or

withholding advertisements as it is a major source of revenue for both print and

electronic media. The press is under influence of business companies because of

advertisements, which yield millions of rupees as revenues. He believes that

journalists, most of the times succumb to pressures exerted on them by the owners of

newspapers especially after the contract system came in. Job insecurity is a major

factor forcing journalists to yield to pressure. As for the restrictions placed on the

publication of news, he says that it must be done for national security. It is necessary

when there is violence of any kind, communal riots or caste tensions. He thinks that

business interests, criminal gangs and political parties are the sources of threat or

harassment to journalists in India.


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He accepts that journalists are sometimes put under surveillance through tapping their

phones by intelligence or security agencies. Murder, arrest and fine are the risks that

journalists face while performing their duties. He names army and judiciary as the

areas that investigative journalists find most difficult to cover. Advertisements affect

the freedom of the press. It is not difficult to get government permission to start a

newspaper since there is registration of newspapers of India (RNI) and so anybody

can easily apply for registration and book a title. Journalists who write about politics,

corporations, and intelligence succumb to pressures quite often. Religious issues,

riots, and any news item which has the potential to provoke sentiments is likely to be

regarded as sensitive and so taboo and is not reported in his newspaper. As for the

enforcement of laws regarding freedom of the press he says that there is constitutional

provision which make it possible for journalists to approach the judiciary, Press

Council or the Editors Guild and those who violate press freedom can be prosecuted.

This case believes that availability of newsprint does affect the independence of

newspapers because newsprint determines to a great extent the cost of a newspaper

and so its circulation. He admits that journalists are invited to luxury events many a

times by political parties and big corporate houses but it does not affect news

reporting. As for the payments to journalists from someone other than their

employers, he believes that corruption has affected all the areas in society so

journalists are not an exception. Defamation laws are not an obstacle to press freedom

because the affected person may not seek a legal remedy if the journalist renders an

apology. The Press Council is effective in regulating the press and participation of

scribes should be enhanced in the council in order to make it more effective.

According to him, stories about development, minority rights and rights of scheduled

castes are the important issues which are not sufficiently covered in the print media,

but celebrities, cricket and politics are covered too much in the press.

Case Study no. 9

This case is a 41 year old female assistant editor from the Times of India who has 18

years of experience as a journalist in different newspapers. She says that she has

partial freedom in her professional activity. The government does not put pressure on

the press and the press is strong enough to resist pressures of the government. The

press is not independent from business companies because of the effect of


78

advertisements on the press. Journalists usually yield to pressures exerted on them by

the owners of newspapers just in order to save their jobs and to keep the owners

satisfied. Restrictions are placed on the publication of news at the time of communal

riots, caste tensions and regional clashes. Major sources of threat or harassment to

journalists can be criminal gangs, terrorists and political parties.

This case believes that journalists are put under surveillance by intelligence services,

criminal gangs and the police. Surveillance is done by phone tapping, being watched

and being followed. Physical attack, fine, arrest and murder are the risks that

journalists face while performing their professional duties. Investigative journalists

have difficulties in covering organized crimes, army and terrorism. Publishing of

advertisements affects the freedom of the press to a great extent because they are the

main source of revenue to the press. Getting government permission to start a

newspaper is not difficult. The only difficulty is providing resources and receiving

advertisements. Intelligence related news and business related news along with

defence scandals are perhaps suppressed because of pressure. Human rights issues in

disputed regions, religious issues and demands of separatists are likely to be regarded

as sensitive and so taboo by her newspaper and are not reported. Usually laws

regarding freedom of the press are enforced. There is no problem with the laws, but

with prosecuting those who violate press freedom.

This journalist believes that availability of newsprint does not affect the independence

of the newspapers because newsprint is easily found and there is no government

control over importing the newsprint. She receives invitation to luxury events and

press trips by political parties and some foreign embassies and sometimes it affects

her objectivity of reporting. She says that journalists are only occasionally paid by

someone other than their regular employers and it happens only during elections.

Defamation laws are not an obstacle to press freedom. So far the Press Council has

not been effective in regulating the press and maybe if it is given more powers it will

become effective. Unemployment, poverty and problems of scheduled castes are not

sufficiently covered in the print media. On the other hand, cricket, politics and

Bollywood have too much coverage in the print media.


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Case Study no. 10

He is a 51 year old bureau chief Delhi branch of DainikRajpath who has 27years

experience as a journalist in different newspapers. He says that he feels complete

freedom while performing his professional duties. The government pressures on the

press are not too much. The press is not independent from business companies.

Journalists yield to pressures exerted on them by the owners of newspapers. At the

time of communal riots and caste tensions some restrictions are placed on the

publication of news. He names criminal gangs and terrorists as the sources of

harassment of journalists.

Journalists are sometimes put under surveillance. Their phones are tapped and

sometimes they are followed by unknown people. Journalists face physical attack,

kidnapping and fine while performing their professional activities. Publication of

advertisements affects the freedom of the press. Companies pressurize newspapers by

not giving them advertisements if something negative against them is published by the

newspapers. There is no difficulty to get government permission to start a newspaper.

This case thinks that intelligence related news and defense scandals are supposed to

be suppressed because of pressure. Religious issues, demands of separatists and the

army are sometimes reckoned as sensitive in his newspaper and are not covered.

According to him, laws regarding freedom of the press are not enforced properly, and

those who violate press freedom do not get prosecuted.

He believes that availability of newsprint has no connection with the independence of

newspapers. He sometimes receives invitations to the luxury events and press trips by

business companies. He declares that journalists may sometimes be paid by someone

other than their regular employer, but he has not witnessed that. He thinks that

defamation laws are an obstacle to freedom of the press. Press Council has no role in

regulating the press, but if it is given more powers it can play a major role. According

to him, poverty, development issues and unemployment are not sufficiently covered

in the print media and cricket, religion, celebrities and fashion are covered too much

in the press.

Case Study no. 11

Thiscaseis a 40 year old male chief of the national bureau of Amar Ujala who has 18

years of journalistic experience. He thinks that he has absolute freedom in his


80

professional activity. While he has never experienced any pressure from the

government, but sometimes there are requests from the government to give more

space in the newspaper for government policies so that these can be covered properly.

The press is independent from business companies to a great extent. For example,

they can freely write about corruption in a company without any threat of losing from

such companies. The owners of newspapers do not put any pressure on journalists and

so there is no question of yielding to their pressure. They know that the influence and

respect of their newspaper are the result of the courage of their journalists and their

ability to resist pressure. He believes that restrictions are placed on the publication of

news at the time of communal riots, regional clashes and extremist violence. Such

restrictions are necessary for reserving the unity and integrity of the country.

Criminal gangs, terrorists and anti-social elements are the sources of threat or

harassment of journalists.

This case, declares that he has never been put under surveillance, although he has

covered many critical and sensitive issues. Physical attack, imprisonment and murder

are the risk that journalists face while performing their professional activity.

Terrorism and organized crimes are the most difficult matters for the investigative

journalists to cover. Althoughadvertisements are necessary for the newspapers in

order to earn revenue, but these do not affect the independence of newspapers. There

is no difficulty to get government permission to start a newspaper and India has the

largest number of newspapers and magazines in the world. There is no important

news to be suppressed or not covered and there is no taboo news in his newspaper.

Laws regarding freedom of the press are always enforced, but in the last 65 years

there has been no case of prosecution for violating press freedom.

This case believes that newsprint does not affect the independence of newspapers.

Companies and political parties invite journalists to press trips, but this does not affect

their reporting. Generally journalists are not paid by persons other than their

employer, but it happens during election times particularly at regional level.

Defamation laws are not an obstacle to press freedom. Press Council is not effective

in regulating the press but it can be more effective by involving journalists and

owners of newspapers. The problems of rural people, development issues and

unemployment are not sufficiently covered in the print media. On the other side,

cricket, fashion and Bollywood are covered too much in the Indian print media.


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Case Study no. 12

Case no. 12 is a 60 year old male associate editor from QuamiAwaazwho has 36 years

experience as a journalist in many newspapers and magazines. He says that he has

partial freedom in his professional activity. The government covertly puts pressure on

the press through the owners of newspapers. Business companies also threaten the

independence of the press through advertisements. Journalists yield to the pressures

exerted on them by the owners of newspapers. Nowadays, most of the journalists are

on contract and they know that if they do not obey the wishes and orders of their

employers, they will lose their jobs immediately. Restrictions are placed on the

publication of news when there is a critical situation in the society like regional

clashes, caste tensions and religious violence. Government, political parties and

business interests are the main sources of threat and harassment to journalists.

This case believes that journalists are put under surveillance both by intelligence

services and criminal gangs. They are followed and their mobiles and emails are

tapped. Journalists face many types of risks in performing their duties. These include

imprisonment, kidnapping, arrest and even murder. Organized crimes, army and

judiciary are likely to be difficult for the investigative journalists to cover. Publishing

of advertisements affect the freedom of the press. It is not difficult to get government

permission to start a newspaper or magazine. Defence scandals, state sponsored

terrorism and intelligence related news may be suppressed because of pressure and

not covered. Depending on the policy of a newspaper a few issues such asreligion,

human rights violation in the disputed regions and security of the state may be

regarded sensitive and taboo. Laws regarding freedom of the press are always

implemented, but the problem arises with prosecution of those who violate press

freedom because they are never prosecuted.

This senior journalist believes that availability of newsprint does not affect the

independence of newspapers because newsprint is always available and any

newspaper group can import it without interference of the government or any other

agency. He accepts that he has been invited to luxury events and press trips many

times by political parties, business companies and foreign embassies and sometimes it

has affected the objectivity of his reporting. At election times journalists are paid by

some people other than their employers who are politicians and their parties in order


82

to receive favourable coverage. Defamation laws do not seem to be a threat to press

freedom. Press Council is not effective in regulating the press because it is only an

advisory body. If it is given more powers it will be more effective. Problems of

minorities, development issues and pollution are not covered enough in the print

media. Cricket, Bollywood and fashion have too much coverage in the print media.

Case Study no. 13

Case no. 13 is a 43 year old male senior deputy editor from Tribune with 20 years

experience as a journalist in different newspapers. He thinks that he has partial

freedom in his professional activity and there is no interference in his work. There is

some pressure from the government on business and political correspondents, but the

pressure can be ignored by the journalists. The press is not independent from business

companies because it gets advertisements from them. The journalists by and large

yield to pressure from the owners of newspapers. Since they are employees, they are

bound to follow the instructions of their proprietor who is their employer. There is no

restriction on the publication of news. Nothing is imposed by the government.

Business interests and organized crimes are the sources of threat or harassment to

journalists, but if a journalist works in areas which are war torn, naxal infested, or

having criminal gangs, he may have a threat to his life.

This case believes that journalists are put under surveillance in different ways like

phone taping and email checking, but surveillance does not mean harassment. Murder,

physical attack and arrest are the risks which journalists face while performing their

professional activities. Judiciary, military and organized crimes are the most difficult

matters for the investigative journalists to cover. Publication of advertisements affects

the freedom of the press because those who give advertisements put pressure on

newspapers by not giving advertisements to them if the newspapers write against

them. It is not difficult to get government permission to start a newspaper. There are

thousands of newspapers and magazines in India and the procedure for getting the

government permission is easy. State sponsored violence and business related news

islikely to be suppressed because of pressure. Human rights issues in disputed regions,

religious issues and demands of separatists are occasionally regarded as sensitive and

so taboo in his newspaper. Laws regarding freedom of the press are always enforced,

but those who violate press freedom are seldom prosecuted.


83

He thinks that availability of newsprint does not normally affect the independence of

newspapers, but it does when it is in short supply. Journalists receive invitations to

luxury events by companies who produce consumer goods, but it does not affect the

objectivity of reporting. He says that there may be some newspapers in which

journalists are paid by people other than their employers but he is not aware of that.

Defamation laws are not an obstacle to press freedom. The Press Council is already

very effective in regulating the press and so there is no need for change. Poverty,

development issues and problems of minorities are not sufficiently covered in the

print media. On the other side, politics, Bollywood and cricket are covered too much

in the Indian print media.

Case Study no. 14

Case no.14 is a 38 year old female special correspondent from Hindustan Times who

has 14 years experience as a journalist. She says that she has an immense freedom in

her professional activity. The government sometimes puts pressure on journalists, but

most journalists are able to ignore the pressure. The press is independent from

business companies and they have little influence on it. Journalists do not yield to

pressure from the side of owners of newspapers, especially in the present scenario

where the press has a major role to play and is allowed to work free of influence.

There are restrictions on the publication of news during extremist violence and caste

tensions. Criminal gangs, terrorists and political parties are the sources of threat and

harassment to journalists.

She believes that journalists are put under surveillance only if they are engaged in any

illegal activity by police officials. Murder, kidnapping and physical attack are the

risks that journalists face while performing their professional activities. Organized

crimes, the judiciary and terrorism are difficult for investigative journalists to cover.

The publishing of advertisements affects the freedom of the press because the press is

financially dependent on advertisements. There is no difficulty in getting government

permission to start a newspaper. State sponsored terrorism; intelligence related news

and business related news are perhaps suppressed because of pressure. At the same

time, religious issues and defence scandals are sometimes regarded as sensitive and so

taboo in her newspaper and are not reported. Laws regarding freedom of the press are


84

not enforced generally and those who violate press freedom are hardly ever

prosecuted.

This case believes that availability of newsprint does not affect the freedom of the

press. She thinks that invitation of journalists to luxury events puts the journalists

under an obligation to report positive news which makes them biased. Journalists are

quite often paid by someone other than their regular employees. Defamation laws are

not an obstacle to press freedom. The Press Council is effective in regulating the press

and if it is given more powers it will be more effective. Poverty, development issues

and pollution are not sufficiently covered in the print media. On the other hand,

celebrities, Bollywood and politics receive too much coverage in the Indian print

media.

Case Study no. 15

Case no. 15 is a 40 year old male sub editor from Amrit India who has 18 years

experience as a journalist. He says that he has enough freedom in his profession.

There is pressure on journalists from the government but they can resist it to a great

extent. The press is independent from business companies as they do not interfere in

matters concerning the press. Journalists yield to pressures exerted on them by the

owners of newspapers but the pressure is not that much that can affect the

independence of journalists. Restrictions are placed on the publication of news at the

time of communal riots and during regional clashes. Political parties, terrorists and

business interests are the main sources of threat to journalists.

This case believes that journalists are not put under surveillance. Kidnapping, arrest

and physical attack are the risks that journalists face while performing their activities.

Terrorism, organized crimes and communal riots are difficult for investigative

journalists to cover. Publication of advertisements affects the freedom of the press, for

example, if a newspaper covers news, which is against the government, it reacts by

withholding advertisements to it. There is no difficulty in getting government

permission to start a newspaper. Suppression of minority rights and intelligence

related news are sometimes not covered because of suppression. Religious issues,

army and human rights issues in disputed regions are likely to be regarded as sensitive

and are not reported in his newspaper. Laws regarding freedom of the press are not

implemented and those who violate press freedom are not punished.


85

According to him, availability of newsprint usually does not affect press freedom.

Journalists receive invitations to press trips from business interests and political

parties and it affects the objectivity of reporting. He has heard about journalists being

paid by someone other than their regular employer but this might happen in just a few

cases. Defamation laws are an obstacle to press freedom. Press Council is effective in

regulating the press. Development issues, minorities and poverty are not sufficiently

covered in the print media. On the other side, celebrities, religion and politics have

too much coverage in the Indian print media.

Case Study no. 16

Case no. 16 is a 39 year old female special correspondent from The Indian Express

who has 16 years experience as a journalist. She says that she has only partial freedom

in her work. The government puts no pressure on the press. The press is not

independent from business companies because they control the press through their

advertisement policies. Most journalists yield to pressures exerted on them by the

owners of newspapers.This is natural because owners are their employers.Restrictions are

placed on the publication of news during extremist violence, communal riots and caste

tensions. The sources of threat to journalists are terrorists, business interests and criminal

gangs.

This case believes that journalists are sometimes put under surveillance by criminal

gangs and security agencies. Their phones are tapped and sometimes their residences

are under watch. Journalists face murder, physical attack and kidnapping while

performing their professional activities. Investigative journalists have difficulties in

covering issues related to organized crimes and judiciary. Publishing of

advertisements affect much freedom of the press. It is easy to get government

permission to start a newspaper and there are no difficulties in this regard.

Suppression of minority rights, state sponsored terrorism and intelligence related

news are sometimes suppressed because of pressure. Human rights issues in disputed

regions, religious issues and demands of separatists are likely to be regarded sensitive

and so taboo in her newspaper. Laws regarding freedom of the press are usually

enforced, but those who violate press freedom are hardly ever prosecuted.

According to this journalist availability of newsprint affects the independence of

newspapers because newsprint has a major part in the price of a newspaper and its


86

financial independence. She accepts that she has been invited to luxury events and

press trips by business companies and political parties and it has had some effect on

her writing. Journalists are sometimes paid by some people other than their regular

employers, mostly at the times of elections by political parties and candidates.

Defamation laws are not an obstacle to the freedom of the press. Journalists are free to

publish news and comments without the fear of defamation laws. Press Council is

effective in regulating the press and it is doing its job well. The coverage of poverty,

population control and development issues is negligible in the print media. On the

other hand, the coverage of politics, religion, and cricket is too much in the Indian

print media.

Case Study no. 17

Case no. 17 is a 46 year old sub editor from DainikBhaskar who has 22 years

experience as a journalist. He says that he has partial freedom in his professional

activity. Government does not put any pressure on journalists. The press is not

independent from business companies and they influence the press through

advertisements, and through the owners of newspapers. Journalists usually surrender

to pressures exerted on them by the owners of newspapers because their job and their

salary are threatened. Restrictions are placed on the publication of news at the time of

communal riots and regional clashes. Business interests, political parties and criminal

gangs are the sources of threat or harassment to journalists.

This case believes that journalists are put under surveillance by intelligence services

and criminal gangs by tapping their phones checking their emails. Journalists face

murder, physical attack and fine while performing their professional activities.

Judiciary, criminal gangs and organized crimes are difficult for the investigative

journalists to cover. Publishing of advertisements affect the freedom of the press

because it is dependent on advertisements for revenue. There is no difficulty in getting

government permission to start a newspaper. Business and intelligence related news

and sometimes defense scandals are perhaps suppressed in the press and are not

covered. Army, human rights issues in disputed regions and religious issues are likely

to be regarded as sensitive in his newspaper and are not reported. Laws regarding

freedom of the press are usually enforced, but prosecution of those who violate press

freedom is rare.


87

This senior journalist thinks that availability of newsprint does not affect the

independence of the newspapers because nowadays newsprint is not in the control of

the government and any company or newspaper group can import it. He receives

invitations to press trips or luxury events generally by business companies and foreign

embassies, but it does not affect the objectivity of his reporting. Journalists are paid

by anyone other than their regular employers but only during elections. Defamation

laws are not an obstacle to press freedom. Press Council is effective in regulating the

press. Scheduled castes, unemployment and population control are not sufficiently

covered in the print media. On the other hand, Bollywood, fashion and politics are

covered too much in the Indian press.

Case Study no. 18

Case no.18 is a 43 year old female sub editor from Hindustan who has 18 years

experience as a journalist. She says that she has partial freedom in her work. She does

not feel government pressure in the press. Independence of the press is threatened by

the business companies because they give advertisements. Journalists yield to the

pressures exerted on them by the owners of newspapers because they have to keep

their job. During caste tensions, regional clashes and extremist violence, some

restrictions are put on the publication of news. The sources of threat or harassment to

journalists are terrorists, criminal gangs and political parties.

This case thinks that journalists are sometimes put under surveillance by criminal

gangs and intelligence services by being followed and watched. Murder, kidnapping

and physical attack are the risks that journalists face while performing their

professional duties. Organized crimes, terrorism and army are difficult for the

investigative journalists to cover. She thinks that publication of advertisements affect

the freedom of the press because advertisements are the main source of revenue of the

newspapers. Moreover, corporate houses and business companies are the main

advertisers and so they may influence newspapers for their own interests. She believes

that getting government permission to start a newspaper is not difficult. State

sponsored terrorism, intelligence related and business related news may be suppressed

because of pressure. Human rights issues in disputed regions, army and religious

issues are sometimes regarded as sensitive in her newspaper and are not covered.


88

Laws regarding freedom of the press are often enforced but prosecution of those who

violate press freedom does not take place.

This case believes that availability of newsprint affects the independence of the

newspapers when it is in short supply. Then it has to be imported by the government

or by the private companies which can influence newspapers. Journalists are invited

to luxury events and press trips by the political parties and business companies and it

naturally affects the objectivity of reporting. Journalists are sometimes paid by

persons other than their regular employers, especially by the politicians at the time of

elections. Defamation laws do not affect the freedom of the press. Press Council is not

effective in regulating the press because it cannot enforce its decisions. It can be more

effective by giving more powers to it. In her view, development issues, population

control and poverty are not sufficiently covered in the print media. On the contrary,

politics, fashion and Bollywood have too much coverage in the print media.

Case Study no. 19

Case no. 19 is a 57 year old assistant editor from DainikJagran who has 33 years

experience as a journalist in different newspapers and magazines. He says that he has

partial freedom in his professional activity. The government does not put pressure on

journalists directly, but it can put pressure through the owners of newspapers. The

press is not independent from business companies because they give advertisement to

newspapers. Journalists have to yield to the pressures from the owners of newspapers

because they receive their salary from them. Restrictions are placed on the publication

of news during communal riots and caste tensions. Business interests, political parties

and criminal gangs are the sources of threat or harassment to journalists.

He believes that journalists are usually put under surveillance when they are suspected

of illegal activities. In such cases, their phones are tapped or they are watched.

Murder, imprisonment and fine are the risks that journalists face while performing

their duties. Investigative journalists have problem in covering army, organized

crimes and terrorism. He thinks that publishing of advertisements affect the freedom

of the press. Advertisement revenues are the lifeblood of newspapers and so those

who give advertisements influence newspapers. There is no difficulty in getting

government permission to start a newspaper. State sponsored terrorism, suppression

of minority rights and business related news are occasionally suppressed because of


89

pressure.Human rights issues in disputed regions and demands of separatists may be

sensitive and so taboo in his newspaper and are not covered. Laws regarding freedom

of the press are always enforced, but those who violate press freedom are usually not

prosecuted.

This case thinks that availability of newsprint does not affect the independence of

newspapers because it is always available. He believes that political parties and

corporate invite journalists to luxury events, but it does not affect the objectivity of

their writing. He also believes that journalists are sometimes paid by someone other

than their regular employer especially at the time of elections. Defamation laws are

not an obstacle to press freedom. The press Council is effective in regulating the

press. Problems of scheduled castes, minorities and pollution are not sufficiently

covered in the print media. Politics, religion and celebrities have too much coverage

in the Indian print media.

Case Study no. 20

Case no. 20 is a 55 year old male associate editor from The Telegraph who has 29

years experience as a journalist in different newspapers and magazines. He says that

he always has partial freedom in his professional activity. There is little pressure from

the government on the press and even if it is there, it can always be resisted.

Independence of the press is threatened by the business companies because of

advertisements. Journalists are bound to yield to pressure exerted on them by the

owners of newspapers in order to keep their job because most of them are on contract.

Restrictions are placed on the publication of news when there is a crisis such as

communal riots, caste tensions and extremist violence. Generally, criminal gangs,

terrorists and in some cases business interests are the sources of threat or harassment

to journalists.

This case believes that journalists are put under surveillance by phone tapping and

being followed. Physical attack, kidnapping and murder are the risks that journalists

face while performing their professional duties. Communal riots, organized crimes

and army are difficult for investigative journalists to cover. Publishing of

advertisements affect the freedom of the press since they are the main source of

income for the newspapers. There is no difficulty in getting government permission to

start a newspaper or magazine. Suppression of minority rights, state sponsored


90

violence and defence scandals are likely to be suppressed because of pressure.

Religious issues, army and human rights issues in disputed regions are sometimes

regarded as sensitive and so taboo in his newspaper and are not covered. Laws

regarding freedom of the press are satisfactory and usually enforced, but those who

violate press freedom are rarely prosecuted.

This senior journalist believes that availability of newsprint does not affect the

independence of newspapers because at the present time it is easily available.

Journalists usually receive invitations to press trips and luxury events by the corporate

houses and political parties, but it does not influence the reporting of journalists.

Journalists are paid by someone other than their regular employer, but it happens very

rarely. Defamation laws are not an obstacle to freedom of the press. Press Council is

not that much effective in regulating the press because it does not have enough teeth.

Pollution, development issues and unemployment are not sufficiently covered in the

print media, but cricket, politics and celebrities receive too much coverage in the print

media.

Case Study no. 21

Case no. 21 is a male 44 year old assistant editor in the Hindustan Times who has

18years experience as a journalist. He says that he ordinarily has partial freedom to

cover issues under his area of specialization. Government as an institution rarely

applies pressure on journalists, but sometimes ministers may try to influence a

journalist. The press is not independent from business companies, and big corporate

houses sometimes control what is published in newspapers. It is a normal practice to

seek the opinions of big corporate houses when issues involving them are published.

Writing against big business companies is often a big challenge for journalists.

Journalists yield to pressures exerted by the owners of newspapers because they have

little choice. Restrictions are put on the publication of news at the time of regional

clashes, Communal riots and election times. He also mentions business interests,

political parties and terrorists as the main source of threat or harassment to journalists.

He claims that journalists are put under surveillance by intelligence services. Murder,

kidnapping and fine are the risks that journalists face while performing their

professional activities. Government, the judiciary and terrorism are the most difficult

issues for the investigative journalists to cover. Publishing of advertisements affect


91

the freedom of the press because there is a threat that advertisements will be withheld

if adverse reporting is there. He believes that it is fairly easy to get permission of the

government to start a newspaper. Intelligence, army and business related news are

perhaps suppressed or not covered because of pressure, and such issues are sensitive

in his newspaper. Laws regarding freedom of the press are effectively enforced and

those who violate press freedom are prosecuted to a great extent.

This case is of the view that the availability of newsprint does not affect the

independence of newspapers. Journalists do go on sponsored trips by business

companies and by foreign embassies. Journalists are not paid by someone other than

their regular employer to influence on their writing. Defamation laws are not an

obstacle to press freedom. He believes that Press Council is effective in regulating the

press. According to him, poverty, development issues and pollution are under reported

by the press and issues related to celebrities, religion and life style are covered too

much in the print media.

Case Study no. 22

Case no. 22 is a 38 year old male sub editor from The Hindu who has 14 years

experience as a journalist. He thinks that he has partial freedom in his professional

duties. The government puts pressure on the press through editors and owners of

newspapers. The press is not independent from business companies as many

newspapers are owned by business companies and corporate houses. Journalists

always yield to pressures exerted on them by the owners of newspapers in order to

save their job and their promotion. During caste tensions and communal riots some

restrictions are placed on the publication of news. The main sources of threat to

journalists are political parties, criminal gangs and terrorists.

This case believes that journalists are always put under surveillance by the security

and intelligence agencies and even by the criminal gangs. The means of surveillance

are phone tapping, being under watch and email tapping. Murder, kidnapping and

arrest are the risks that journalists face while performing their professional duties.

Army, the judiciary and communal riots are difficult for the investigative journalists

to cover. Corporate houses and companies affect the independence of newspapers by

giving or withholding advertisements. There is no difficulty in getting government

permission to start a newspaper or magazine. Suppression of minority rights, state


92

sponsored terrorism and defence scandals are occasionally suppressed and not

covered because of pressure. Religious issues, army and human rights violation in

disputed regions are sometimes regarded as sensitive by his newspaper and are not

covered. Laws regarding freedom of the press are implemented but those who violate

press freedom are not prosecuted.

This journalist thinks that availability of newsprint affects the independence of

newspapers, particularly small newspapers because of its role in the price of

newspapers. Journalists are usually invited to luxury events and press trips by political

parties and business companies and it affects the objectivity of their writing. They are

not paid by people other than their regular employer. Defamation laws are not an

obstacle to press freedom andjournalists are free to write about anyone ifthey have the

facts. Press Council is effective in regulating the press and it does not need

morepower. In his view, development issues, pollution and problems of scheduled

castes are not sufficiently covered in the print media. Conversely, celebrities, politics,

cricket and fashion receive too much coverage in the print media.

CaseStudy no. 23

Case no. 23 is a 52 year old male general manager from Daily Pratab who has 29

years experience as a journalist in different newspapers and magazines. He says that

he has full freedom in his professional activity. The government puts no pressure on

the press. The press is independent from business companies. They do not interfere

with the work of newspapers. Journalists do not surrender to the pressure exerted on

them by the owners of newspapers. He believes that restrictions are placed on the

newspapers at the time of communal riots, regional clashes and caste tensions.

Nowadays, criminal gangs, business interests, and political parties are the sources of

threat or harassment to journalists.

According to him, journalists are not put under surveillance by intelligence agencies

and criminal gangs. Murder, kidnapping and physical attack are the risks that

journalists face while performing their duties. Organized crimes, terrorism and

communal riots are difficult for the investigative journalists to cover. Publishing of

advertisements does not affect the freedom of the press. There is no difficulty in

getting government permission to start a newspaper. Suppression of minority rights

and intelligence related news are occasionally not covered because of pressure.


93

Demands of sepratists and army are perhaps regarded sensitive and so taboo by his

newspaper and are not reported. Laws regarding freedom of the press are enforced,

but those who violate press freedom are not prosecuted.

This case believes that availability of newsprint does not affect the freedom of the

press because it is not in the hands of government. Invitation to luxury events, gifts

and press trips are offered by business companies and political parties and it effects

reporting. He has heard that journalists are paid by someone other than their regular

employers but he has not come across any such cases. Defamation laws are not an

obstacle to press freedom. Press Council is effective in regulating the press. It does its

work well and there is no need for more powers to be given to it. Problems of

scheduled castes, minorities and unemployment are not sufficiently covered in the

print media. On the other hand, cricket religion and politics are covered too much in

the Indian print media.

Case Study no. 24

Case no. 24is a 45 year old male special correspondent from DainikJagranwho has 25

years experience as a journalist. He thinks that he has partial freedom in his

professional activity and whatever he writes gets published. About the pressures from

the government on the press he says that the government does exert some pressure,

but the press can always resist it. While the government wants to ensure that whatever

it wants gets published, but the press can exercise discretion in publishing only what it

finds suitable. The press is not fully independent from business companies as there are

some sections that protect and promote the interests of corporate houses. The owners

of newspapers put some pressure on journalists by laying down the policies which

they should follow. Restrictions are never placed on the publication of news and in all

cases, they write whatever they want. Criminal gangs, business interests and terrorists

are the sources of harassment to journalists.

This case believes that those journalists are put under surveillance by checking their

emails and tapping their phones that are suspected to be writing against national

interests. Physical attack, imprisonment and murder are the risks journalists face when

performing their professional activities. Army, organized crimes and terrorism are the

most difficult areas for investigative journalists to cover. Publishing of advertisements

affects the freedom of the press, particularly in regional and small newspapers. There


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is no difficulty in getting government permission to start a newspaper. Defense

scandals and intelligence related news are perhaps suppressed in the name of national

interest. There is no issue to be regarded as taboo in his newspaper and all issues are

covered. Religious issues and army may be regarded as sensitive by his newspaper

and are not reported. Laws regarding freedom of the press are enforced, but those who

violate press freedom are generally not prosecuted.

This journalist believes that newsprint is costly in India and it affects the

independence of newspapers if there is a shortage of it. Journalists receive invitations

to luxury events from big corporate houses and companies, but journalists do not

allow them to influence their work. Journalists are sometimes paid by someone with

vested interests who is not their regular employer, but it depends on the person to

accept or reject it. Defamation laws are an obstacle to freedom of the press only to

some extent. Press Council is not effective in regulating the press, but if it is given

punitive powers, then it can be more effective. News related to poverty, population

control and scheduled castes are not covered enough in the print media. On the other

side, celebrities, cricket and fashion are covered too much in the print media.

6.8Analysis and Interpretation of Case Studies

Analysis of the case studies of 24 journalists (including 4 key informants) has yielded

interesting results. Most journalists were experienced and senior ones(14) with ages

ranging from 44 to 60 and a few were younger ones (10) with ages ranging from 38 to

44. 8 journalists were female and 16 were male.14 cases were from English

newspapers and 10 other cases were from the vernacular newspapers (Hindi and

Urdu).

Most cases (18) believed that they have partial freedom in their professional activity,

but few of them (6) have said that they have full freedom. Few journalists (8) said that

the government puts pressure covertly on journalists, but they are able to resist the

pressure and do independent reporting. Majority of journalists (16) have said that

government does not put any pressure on journalists. Most journalists (17) declared

that the press is not independent from business companies because of the

advertisements and its role in revenue earning of newspapers. Since the corporate

houses are the main sources of advertisements to newspapers, they can withhold them

if newspapers go against their interests. Most newspapers are private owned and so


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they have to yield to the demands of advertisers. On the other hand, few other

journalists (7) thought that the press is independent from business companies and as

the corporate sector in India is so big, withholding or giving of advertisements by one

or two companies does not affect the independence of newspapers. Majority of

respondents (21) have said that they often succumb to pressures exerted on them by

the owners of newspapers. The main reason for this is that they have to save their job

and their salary. They added that since their job security is dependent on the

satisfaction of their employers who are the owners of newspapers, they are bound to

obey the orders and wishes of the owners. They said that contract system makes them

more vulnerable in relation to their employers and so less independent. On the other

hand, minority of journalists (3) have said that the owners of newspapers do not put

much pressure on journalists because the owners know that the influence and respect

of their newspaper is the result of the courage of their journalists and their ability to

resist pressure.

All cases have said that restrictions are placed on the publication of news during

communal riots, regional clashes, extremist violence and caste tensions. They said

that such restrictions are necessary for preserving the unity and integrity of the

country. During such critical times, the government appeals to journalists that

sensitive information must be withheld from publication as it may exacerbate

violence. All respondents have said that the main sources of threat and harassment to

journalists are business interests, criminal gangs, political parties, army and terrorists.

A good number of the journalists (20) have said that they have been put under

surveillance, mostly by intelligence services, police and criminal gangs. They have

said that they have been spied on, followed, watched and their mobiles and emails

have been tapped, but this surveillance does not affect their work because they are not

aware of it. Few journalists (4) have said that they are not put under surveillance,

though they have covered many critical and sensitive issues and they said that only

those journalists are put under surveillance that are suspected to be engaged in illegal

activities. All respondents have said that physical attack, murder, kidnapping,

imprisonment and fine are the risks that journalists face while performing their

professional activities. All respondents have said that organized crimes, judiciary,

army, government, communal riots and terrorism are difficult for investigative

journalists to cover.


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Majority of the respondents (20) have said that the publication of advertisements

affect the freedom of the press because those who give advertisements put pressure on

newspapers by not giving advertisements to them if the newspapers writes against

them. In smaller local newspapers there are reports of a quid-pro-quo between

advertisers and newspapers that advertisers give advertisements to newspapers and the

newspapers publish news in the interests of advertisers. Minority of respondents (4)

have said that the publication of advertisements does not affect the freedom of the

press. They have said that though advertisements are necessary for the newspapers in

order to earn revenue, but they do not affect the freedom of the press and journalists

do independent reporting.

All respondents have said that there is no difficulty in getting government permission

to start a newspaper. They said that getting the permission is a smooth and easy

process and India has the largest number of newspapers and magazines in the world.

All journalists who were interviewed believed that investigative stories about

corruption, state sponsored terrorism, suppression of minority rights, defence scandals

and business and intelligence related news are sometimes suppressed or not covered

because of pressure. Majority of respondents (21) have declared that the demands of

separatists, human rights issues in disputed regions, religious issues, and army are

sometimes regarded as taboo and sensitive by their newspapers and are not reported.

While a minority of respondents (3) has said that there are not sensitive and taboo

news in their newspapers and all issues are covered. Most of the respondents (21)

have said that laws regarding freedom of the press are always enforced. Few

respondents (3) have said that laws regarding press freedom are not enforced

properly. Most of the respondents (20) have said that those who violate press freedom

are not prosecuted. Few others (4) have said that those who violate press freedom are

prosecuted.

Most of the respondents (16) have said that availability of newsprint does not affect

the independence of newspapers because at the present time it is easily available and

it is not in government control. Few other respondents (8) have said that availability

of newsprint affects the independence of newspapers. They said that since newsprint

is costly in India and its price affects revenues of newspapers so it affects the

independence of newspapers. Most journalists (20) have said that they receive


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invitations to luxury events or press trips by business companies, political parties and

foreign embassies and it affects their objectivity of reporting. Luxury invitations put

the journalists under an obligation to report positive news, which makes them biased.

Few others (4) have said that such invitations are there, but it does not affect their

reporting. Most of the respondents (22) have said that journalists are paid by someone

other that their regular employers and it happens rarely being confined to election

times when it comes under the category of paid news. Few other respondents (2) have

said that journalists are not paid by people other than their regular employers.

Majority of respondents (20) have said that defamation laws are not an obstacle to

press freedom. Minority (4) has said that such laws are an obstacle to press freedom.

Some respondents (12) have said that the Press Council of India is not effective in

regulating the press because it does not have enough power and if it is given more

teeth it will be more effective. Some others (12) have said that the Press Council is

effective in regulating the press and there is no need to give it more powers.

The journalists have said thatsocioeconomic issues like problems of scheduled castes,

poverty, unemployment, pollution, development, population control and minorities do

not receive enough coverage in the print media. On the contrary, non-issues such as

politics, cricket, fashion, Bollywood, celebrities and religion which divert attention

from the issues have too much coverage in the print media.

CHAPTER SIX FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN INDIA:...

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