Struggles faced by Indian media in the contemporary world

By Aniruddha

The media especially news media in India has been going through a bunch of struggles over the last few years. As a fourth pillar of democracy, ‘Freedom of Expression’ is one of the major challenges, Indian media is facing.

Likewise, it can be said, several journalists and media organisations are facing increasing pressure from the establishment like legal actions and self-censorship. This results in a climate of fear amongst the journalists in reporting controversial topics.

Another issue faced by the media is misinformation or fake news, which is rapidly spreading on social media platforms. This makes it difficult for journalists to report the truth. Additionally, there is a trend of media ownership which is being given in the custody of some specific wealthy individuals. This leads to a lack of diversity and multitude in media coverage.

Journalists are also facing physical threats and attacks, with many being targeted for their reporting on sensitive topics like corruption and human rights abuses. These threats lead to fear among journalists as they are unwilling to take risks and report on controversial and sensitive topics.

The journalists have started facing economic crunches as Covid-19 pandemic has led to a decrease in advertising revenues. The result of that is seen in the reduction of the annual budgets of media organisations, which have ultimately led to layoffs and salary cuts of journalists.

Despite all these challenges, the reporters of various media organisations still make reports on important and sensitive issues. It is clear that there is a need for huge support and protection for journalists as they do their job to inform the citizens about facts. Also, there is a need for more diversity and an independent media landscape in India.