India remains one of the most dangerous and restrictive environments for journalists in the Commonwealth, according to a joint study by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, the Commonwealth Journalists Association, and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association. From 2006 to 2023, 213 journalists were killed across 19 Commonwealth countries; Pakistan accounted for 87, India for 56, and Nigeria for 13, making India the second-worst after Pakistan. The study reports a 96 per cent impunity rate: 205 of the 213 killings remain unresolved, with none of the eight solved cases in India. On the World Press Freedom Index 2024, only seven of the 43 ranked Commonwealth countries are in the top 50, with Canada at 11. India is among the lowest 50, reflecting weak legal protections and high impunity. The Global Expression Report, based on V-Dem indicators, places India in the “in crisis” category alongside Bangladesh, Rwanda, and Eswatini. As of December 1, 2024, three jo

Welcome to Tuesday and it's going to be a hot one - or at least it is in most of today's print dailies where what's variously described as 'grim',(SMH) 'apocalyptic' (Australian Financial Review), and just in case you were in any doubt, 'catastrophe looms', that last one according to The Age's headline writer. Yes, they're all writing about the just-released and very first National Climate Risk Assessment Report, described by the Sydney Morning Herald as a 'landmark report' and which warns of a 'grim future' due to rising carbon emissions and the likely resulting global warming. But if you were worried by this wall-to-wall coverage, The Australian has some words of comfort - actually quite a lot of them. Columnist Judith Sloan, who would not say she is a climate expert, gives her take on the report, saying, "This type of report is pure speculation. There is little doubt the authors have opted for the worst-case scenario".  It also carries a piece by Sarah Ison and Greg

India TV, a leading Hindi news broadcaster, announced on Friday that its official YouTube channel was hacked by unidentified entities “suspected to be of Russian origin”. The hack led to the deletion of over 2 lakh videos from archives and disrupted the YouTube live feed. Ritu Dhawan, managing director and CEO of India TV, condemned the action as a threat to “weaken independent journalism” and said the channel is working closely with YouTube and cybersecurity authorities to restore deleted content and enhance their proactive measures. "Our YouTube channel has recently faced a major cyber-attack. We strongly condemn such attempts, which are being undertaken to silence our media and undermine our democratic values. We remain committed to continue to deliver authentic, accurate, and timely news and views to our vast audience without any disruption to our other relevant assets,” she said. India TV condemns the breach as part of increased cyber attacks on India, attempting �

Image source: Indian Express, The Caravan, DH and DD News; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   Infiltration and systemic changing of population mix in border areas once again hogged media limelight today with the PM claiming that the union government is preparing to launch a mission to thwart a conspiracy to alter the composition of the population in border areas with the help of "infiltrators". He was addressing the public at Darrang in Assam after launching several projects. Hot off the Press Accusing the Opposition Congress of supporting illegal migration, the PM said those bent upon sheltering infiltrators had been waging such a conspiracy in the areas bordering Bangladesh. Mangaldoi is about 70 km northeast of Guwahati. “This is a grave threat to national security, necessitating a demography mission across the country,” Modi said, underscoring the BJP’s “goal” of ejecting infiltrators to save Indian citizens from them, reported Rahul Karmakar for The Hindu. Recollecting M

Welcome to Monday and politics is firmly on the radar this morning. First off, let's take a look at the Daily Telegraph where, as usual from the tabloid, there's a strong headline, even if it wasn't quite the case that PM Albanese was literally 'Marched out of Marrickville' - that story by Madeleine Bower, Robert White and Eilidh Sproul-Mellis - it is true the electoral office has had to be abandoned due to near constant demonstrations by pro-Palestinian activists calling on the government to do more about the situation in Gaza, and the Tele makes the most of it.  The writers also call it an 'eviction' and again that's rather dramatic, no-one has evicted the PM, but certainly the near-constant presence of the domonstrators has made work life near impossible for the staffers, who are the ones normally working from the office originally opened 30 years ago by Labor luminary Gough Whitlam. Staff are now 'being forced to work remotely', say the reporters, until a new location

  Inside India’s multilingual newsrooms, Hindi continues to lead the conversation.  In India’s crowded newsrooms, English may dominate the websites and Twitter feeds, but Hindi continues to be the glue that holds conversations together.  As Nagmani Pandey, senior correspondent at Navbharat Times in Mumbai puts it, ‘Hindi language will never die.’ “I personally know journalists who began their careers with Hindi newspapers, later moved to Marathi or English newspapers, and yet have not let go of the language,” he says.  The Language of Access  Pandey believes that having command over multiple languages is an advantage for any journalist, but Hindi is essential since it continues to play a crucial role in news coverage across regions. For instance, he explains, “During on-spot reporting, if an eyewitness cannot speak the regional language or English but only Hindi, the reporter cannot afford to say they don’t understand. That is the strength and necessity of t

  A parliamentary panel has flagged the spread of fake news as a “serious threat” to public order and democratic processes, urging stronger legal and institutional measures to counter misinformation. In a draft report adopted on 9 September, the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, chaired by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, recommended amending penal provisions, increasing fines, and clarifying accountability for creators, publishers and platforms that propagate false content. The report has been submitted to the Lok Sabha Speaker and is expected to be tabled in the upcoming session. The recommendations, also addressed to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), aim to strengthen mechanisms across print, digital, and broadcast media. Key proposals include newsroom fact-checking mechanisms and internal ombudsmen; collaboration among government bodies, private media, and independent fact-checkers; licensing requirements for AI c