00:00 In 2024, Reporters Without Borders have ranked India 159 out of 180 nations on the World
00:07 Press Freedom Index. In 2023, India was ranked 161. The index's purpose is to compare levels
00:14 of freedom enjoyed by journalists and media in 180 countries and territories.
00:20 Welcome to Deep Dive with Outlook. Today, we will be revisiting our October 2023 issue,
00:25 All is Well. In the light of India's recent ranking on World Press Freedom Index, Outlook
00:31 imagined a dystopian world of happy news. In the algorithmical issue, we discuss the
00:36 movie Maa Ki Mamta Aparampar, Iss se Achha Nahi Koi Sansaar, It's All About Loving Your
00:42 Motherland, an incident where a man was lynched for eating a potato as well as the news click
00:49 crackdown. The Press Freedom Questionnaire and map uses
00:52 five contextual indicators – political, economic, legal and social interference – along
00:58 with the absence of threat to physical and mental well-being. According to Freedom House,
01:04 a non-profit organization based in the US, press freedom in India has been steadily eroding
01:10 since 2014. In 2022 alone, nearly 200 journalists were targeted by state agencies, political
01:18 actors and armed groups. Some have been charged under draconian laws like the UAPA, leaving
01:24 them little room for justice. Last year, homes of 46 journalists, all associated with news
01:31 click, were raided by the Delhi Police's special cell, which usually probes cases related
01:37 to terrorism. The organization had been under scrutiny since
01:42 2021, when the Enforcement Directorate initiated an investigation into its alleged links with
01:48 China. The decline of media freedom and increasing threats to the safety of journalists is a
01:54 worldwide trend.
01:55 Read more on World Press Freedom Day in our October 2023 issue, All Is Well.
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