A decade under Modi: Terror laws against journalists, creeping digital censorship

The Bharatiya Janata Party manifestos from 2014 and 2019 did not make any promises about freedom of the press.

How the media fared under the Narendra Modi government can be gleaned from three metrics: the media’s access to the government; the levels of safety and freedom for journalists; and how policy decisions affect the media in India.

In 2014, the Press Freedom Index by media watchdog Reporters Sans Frontières ranked India at 140 out of 180 countries. In 2023, India had dropped to 161.

Ranked at 120 in 2004, India had fallen 20 spots on the index during the United Progressive Alliance government between 2004 and 2014.

Access

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not taken questions from journalists at any press conference in India since he took office. Abroad, he has done so in at least two instances – during state visits to the UK in 2015 and the US in 2023.

Congress leader Manish Tewari, who was the Minister of Information and Broadcasting between 2012 and 2014, claimed former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh participated in 117 press conferences in his decade-long tenure.

Journalists have also faced obstacles in their access to Parliament and union ministries. For instance, in 2019, the Ministry of Finance introduced a system of prior appointment for journalists who wanted to...

Read more