Free Speech Reports

Journalists remain in the cross hairs

BY GEETA SESHU| IN SPECIAL REPORTS |02/05/2018 


Free Speech in 2018: Murder, violence, threats, gags, and policy clampdowns – that’s how the year started.

 

The climate for free speech in India

IN SPECIAL REPORTS |20/01/2018

The Hoot’s annual report attempts a state-wise overview of the climate for media freedom and free speech.

 

 

A good year in the courts for free speech

BY SEVANTI NINAN, RAHUL BHATNAGAR, SHILPI GOYAL| IN JUDGEMENTS |03/01/2018

It’s been win some, lose some but some of the more significant rulings have been in favour of media freedom,

 

The India Freedom Report, January 2016-April 2017

BY SEVANTI NINAN, GEETA SESHU, SHILPI GOYAL| IN MEDIA FREEDOM |07/05/2017

The Hoot’s comprehensive report on free speech issues in India, released on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.

 

 

India 2016-17: The silencing of journalists

BY GEETA SESHU| IN MEDIA FREEDOM |30/04/2017


As attacks on journalists rise, so does impunity owing to the politician-police nexus letting the culprits off. Exposing wrongdoing is now very risky.

 

Censoring the arts—humouring offended mobs

BY SEVANTI NINAN, GEETA SESHU, SHILPI GOYAL| IN SPECIAL REPORTS |18/03/2017

INDIA’S FREE SPEECH CHALLENGES—Part I. Films, television and public events ran into deletions and protests from a whole range of perpetrators in the last 15 months.

 

Free speech in India, 2015

IN SPECIAL REPORTS |31/12/2015

Eight deaths, 30 attacks, 48 cases of defamation, 14 of sedition—its been grim year for free speech in India.

 

Increase in censorship in India

IN MEDIA FREEDOM |14/04/2014

Chilling effects of at least 52 instances of censorship in the first quarter of 2014 by the state, Hindu groups, publishers, student groups and others.

 

Censorship: how and where - Free Speech in India 2014

IN MEDIA FREEDOM |12/04/2014

Attacks on the media, threats, cyber media censorship, curbs on film, theatre performances, defamation notices and surveillance are amongst the categories of censorship for the first Quarter of 2014.

 

Spike in curbs on free speech in 2013

BY FREE SPEECH HUB| IN MEDIA FREEDOM |16/12/2013

From three in 2011 and five in 2012, there have been 8 deaths of journalists in 2013. The rise in the number of instances of censorship this year and increasing surveillance,

 

Fettering the Fourth Estate: Free Speech in 2012

IN MEDIA FREEDOM |31/12/2012

From killings to jailing to arrests for Facebook posts, 2012 saw a whole gamut of free speech violations run their course in the country.

 

Press freedom: May 2012

IN MEDIA FREEDOM |04/05/2012

As we observed World Press Freedom Day on May 03,

 

 

Free Speech in 2011: A Hoot Report

BY FSH| IN MEDIA FREEDOM |30/12/2011

For the media, 2011 was marked by the killings of journalists, major censorship and surveillance issues, far-reaching legislation, limits on online media freedom.

 

Can't take free speech for granted in India!

IN MEDIA FREEDOM |03/05/2011

Since January, one journalist has been killed, and nine others attacked.Besides, there is the blocking of 11 websites, telephone taps, hate speech on Facebook and the censorship of books and film.

 

Free Speech Issues in India 2010: A monograph

IN MEDIA FREEDOM |21/02/2011

For a democracy, India's free speech record in 2010 was far from exemplary: attacks on the media, unwaranted charges of sedition, hate speech, culture wars and much else.

 

Free Speech in India 2010: One step forward, two steps backward!

IN MEDIA FREEDOM |31/12/2010

Vigilante groups had a field day and the mailed fist of the state was used against both the media and civil society activists and the judiciary gave some relief for free speech in just a few instances, only to take it away in others.

 

 

Sedition, free speech and dissent

BY FSH| IN MEDIA FREEDOM |30/12/2010

The year 2010 has seen this law invoked by state governments on not less than five occasions, including Dr Sen’s case. Is the law on sedition being invoked a little too often for a democracy that values free speech?

 

India falls in world press freedom ranking, rest of the world situation grim

IN MEDIA FREEDOM |20/10/2010

Press freedom has little to do with economic power and India’s much touted economic reforms haven’t helped protect the media,

 

Press Freedom in 2006

IN MEDIA FREEDOM |31/12/2006

Eighty one journalists killed - the deadliest year since 1994. Fifty six kidnapped, mostly in Iraq and the Gaza Strip.

 

Press freedom in Andhra Pradesh

BY s r ramanujan| IN MEDIA FREEDOM |09/08/2006

There were two unrelated instances last month in Andhra Pradesh concerning media which reflect poorly on the image of the government.

 

Press freedom in 2005

IN MEDIA FREEDOM |06/01/2006

Violence still increasing: 63 journalists killed, more than 1,300 physically attacked or threatened. Cases of censorship up, cyber dissidents jailed.

 

 

Capping a steady erosion of press freedom

BY ninan| IN MEDIA FREEDOM |10/11/2003

The arrests ordered of the top echelon of the Hindu are merely the spectacular capping of an insidious trend pursued by both the Central and state governments.

 

How many journalists were actually killed in 2001?

IN MEDIA FREEDOM |13/04/2002

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The new term for self censorship is voluntary censorship, as proposed by companies like Netflix and Hotstar. ET reports that streaming video service Amazon Prime is opposing a move by its peers to adopt a voluntary censorship code in anticipation of the Indian government coming up with its own rules. Amazon is resisting because it fears that it may alienate paying subscribers.                   

Clearly, the run to the 2019 elections is on. A journalist received a call from someone saying they were from Aajtak channel and were conducting a survey, asking whom she was going to vote for in 2019. On being told that her vote was secret, the caller assumed she wasn't going to vote for 'Modiji'. The caller, a woman, also didn't identify herself. A month or two earlier the same journalist received a call, this time from a man, asking if she was going to vote for the BSP.                 

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