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Humble beginnings

India's first tryst with media was in 1780, when an Irishman, Augustus Hicky, published the first newspaper, the Bengal Gazette. Interestingly, the birth of censorship also took place not long after the edition was published. 

In 1782, Bengal Gazette was seized for being too critical of the British Raj. In 1878, The Vernacular Press Act was passed to smother Indian language publications by penalizing anyone who dissented against the Raj. 

About a century later, in 1975, the press was again in dire straits due to the imposition of an emergency. The evolution of the Indian press was turbulent, but the adversities made it resilient and unrelenting. 

From the live telecasting of the Kargil War to documenting the mayhem caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the press has profoundly enlightened the masses. But unfortunately, today, the press is again facing a grave challenge. 

According to the World Press Freedom Index (WFPI), in 2022, India's ranking fell from 142nd to 150th in 2021. The publisher of the index, Reporters Without Borders or RSF, attributed this slip mainly to the high-handedness of the ruling government. But a lot more is at play here.

WFPI— trust or not to trust?

RSF has put India among the likes of Sudan, Libya, and Pakistan. A scoring mechanism that ranges from 0-100 is used to rank countries. Lower the score, the higher the freedom. India's score is 41, which comes under the "severe" category. 

According to RSF, "Press freedom is defined as the ability of journalists as individuals and collectives to select, produce, and disseminate news in the public interest independent of political, economic, legal, and social interference and the absence of threats to their physical and mental safety." But the index is not without its criticisms. 

Singapore's PM opined that WFPI is a "subjective measure computed through the prism of western liberals. As per NITI Aayog, "One of the primary concerns raised has been the opaqueness of the WPFI survey. Question-wise or category-wise scores used in computing scores for the six parameters are neither public nor the list of respondents provided." 

But one cannot refute that arbitrary arrests of journalists and political affiliation of media houses have been on the rise and the index seems to highlight just that.

Why is press freedom on the decline?

RSF has highlighted political partisanship to be the main reason for the deterioration. Further, change in ownership and corporatization of media houses has also contributed to the regression of press freedom. Different owners have different interests, leading to publications in their favor. 

The safety of journalists is also a significant concern in India, according to RSF. According to the UNESCO observatory, about 45 journalists were killed in India between 2010 and 2022. In addition, the silence of civil society provides the government a free hand in stifling the press. 

Another factor is the weak legal framework to protect the freedom of the press and journalists. Unfortunately, the big media houses are quiet on the falling level of debates in the country, and their implicit consent is hollowing the traditions of a robust overwatch press. Media houses sing the tunes of whoever is in power, which diminishes journalism's ethos, which is unbiasedness and objectivity. 

Conclusion

A robust press is an essential part of a democracy. It enables the flow of ideas and enlightens the masses. It holds the people in power accountable and voices the common man's grievances. In the absence of a free press, democracy will smother and wither away.