The attack by four unidentified non-state actors on a young reporter from The New Indian Express at an Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s court in Bengaluru on Saturday is a deplorable act that needs to be condemned in the harshest possible manner. The TNIE reporter was covering murder-accused Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa being produced before court. The attackers questioned the reporter about what he was doing at the court complex. They beat him up on being informed that he was from the media. It demonstrates the impunity with which the attack was launched.
This is not an isolated case. It must be viewed as part of a string of attacks on media persons and the condition of press freedom across India. According to the India Freedom of Expression Initiative’s annual press freedom report, in 2023, five journalists were killed and 226 injured. These were carried out across India by state agencies, non-state political actors and criminals. It’s not surprising the World Press Freedom Index—published by Reporters Without Borders as an annual ranking based on the level of journalistic freedom on the parameters of political context, legal framework, economic context, socio-cultural context and safety—has positioned India at 159 among 180 nations in 2024; it’s a fall from 2022’s rank of 150.
In many cases, the extent of injuries sustained—or death—is taken into consideration to decide their seriousness. The implications are far more severe than that. Any such attack needs to be viewed as an obstruction to the smooth functioning of Indian democracy, something most Indians are proud of. Press freedom must be viewed and accepted as a fundamental democratic principle. It allows journalists and media organisations to operate without censorship or interference from state or non-state actors. It is a core component of the freedom of expression.
Although not exclusively mentioned in the Constitution, press freedom comes directly under the rights granted by Article 19(1)(a) for freedom of expression and speech. It implies encouraging independent journalism to promote democracy by allowing journalists to freely report and voice their opinions on matters reported from the ground. It is time the Union government brought in laws to protect journalists to help them boost press freedom, without which democracy itself holds no meaning.