What does India need to learn from other countries to protect journalists?

Guwahati, Nov 16: The people of Assam could not forget the horrific memory of May 17, 1996, when eminent and radical Assamese journalist and human rights activist, Parag Kumar Das, was shot at by four surrendered ULFA militants in broad daylight at Guwahati. The heinous murder sent shock waves throughout the state, which are still strongly felt because justice is delayed and therefore denied too.

Incidents as such are not uncommon in our country, as is evident from the rise of attacks, killings, lynchings, abuse, and harassment against journalists and ultimately against press freedom in India. The degrading media scenario has brought India down to 150th position in the Press Freedom Index 2022, and as per reports, it is "violence against journalists" and "politically partisan media" that have landed the media in a state of crisis today.

Violence against journalists has been rampant in India, with incidents ranging from attacks on them during the National Emergency in 1975 to the murder of Gauri Lankesh in 2017, the detention of independent journalist Mandeep Punia during the Farmer's Protest in 2021, the booking of Kashmiri photojournalist Masrat Zahra under the UAPA law, the detention of Kishorechandra Wangkhem and Erendro Leichombam of Manipur under the National Security Act (NSA), and the arrest of Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha in Tripura in 2021 on charges of spreading false information and disrupting communal harmony.

As per the report issued by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 293 journalists are jailed globally in 2022, whereas 46 journalists are killed according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in the same year which provides substantial evidence to prove that violence against journalists are not only prevalent in India but across the globe.

Apart from that, certain European countries are known for their press transparency and rightly protecting journalists in the line of duty.

According to the report released by RSF, Norway topped the Press Freedom Index for 2022, followed by Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, and Finland. They were chosen based on factors such as the media landscape, political context, legal framework, economic and socio-cultural context, and, most importantly, the safety of the media and journalists.

If we consider the case of Norway, reports published by the RSF suggest that, "Norway's legal framework safeguarding freedom of the press is robust."

"The media market is vibrant, featuring a strong public service broadcaster and a diversified private sector with publishing companies guaranteeing extensive editorial independence and the constitution guarantees both freedom of expression and the right to public information, which is also protected by several other laws." "The media industry works under a common code of ethics, and most importantly, "journalists generally work in a safe environment as a few rare cases of physical violence have been reported, but threats are commonplace," the report stated.

Besides, the Norwegian constitution states in Article 100 that there shall be freedom of expression, "No one may be held liable in law for having imparted or received information, ideas, or messages unless this can be justified in relation to the grounds for freedom of expression, which are the seeking of truth, the promotion of democracy, and the individual's freedom to form opinions, and such legal liability shall be prescribed by law."

The Norwegian penal code also ensures that the media are generally free of censorship or undue political pressure on editorial policy, and that journalists are able to perform their work without physical obstructions.

Again, studies suggest that Finland is one of the few countries where the media is truly free. The freedom of the press has been continuously strengthened ever since the first legislation banning censorship was adopted under Swedish rule as the first in the world in 1766.

The country's Council for Mass Media looks after the practice of good journalism. Finland's legal restrictions are few, and the freedom of speech and expression is protected by its constitution.

As per the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, the journalistic profession, standards, and protection acquire one of the lowest risk scores (8%) in Finland, and the working conditions of Finnish journalists are very permissive. The source's confidentiality is effectively protected by law; however, threats and occasional physical attacks against journalists do occur.

But, what is preventing the Indian media from enjoying these rights?

Speaking to The Assam Tribune, Kunal Majumder, the India Representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said, "There needs to be a conversation and a culture about safety issues of journalists within the Indian newsrooms as well as the news fraternity, which is unfortunately missing in India. At a larger level, we expect to take into consideration the growing physical challenges to journalists that come from non-state actors or from the State."

"Lately, we have seen the growing criminalisation of a lot of journalism activities, but there is also a big need within the newsroom, whether that is at the proprietor level, the editor level, or the senior managerial level, to have the conversation about developing mechanisms within newsrooms to have a culture of safety," he further added.

Majumder has also opined that there are enough inputs to suggest that the media management itself doesn't really care much about individual journalists these days. This culture of safety is a very important aspect, safety is something that should come from news organisations, and of course, those organisations should also be pressuring the government and different stakeholders within the state to provide protection and safety.

According to Majumder, organisations like CPJ are working on calling out the government whenever journalists are targeted in the line of duty. It is also working at multiple layers, at the level of newsrooms, journalists and also at a central level, informing the government and urging them to take necessary steps in order to ensure that journalists are safe.

Thus, the government and different stakeholders associated with it, need to uphold press freedom and ensure that it is maintained in the country. In order to maintain press freedom, it is essential that the government take notes from other countries like Sweden, Norway, Estonia, and other countries that have established their press freedom rightly.

Not only these, but the stakeholders also need to provide a favourable media landscape and introduce legal frameworks to protect the interests of journalists in the line of duty.

Therefore, in order to protect and safeguard the media in recent times, different newsrooms and journalists must be educated and empowered about various safety precautions, including legal protection for journalists and the press, which is unfortunately lacking in India and is certainly the need of the hour.