Indian Media in Crisis

Indian Media in Crisis : When Telling the Truth Becomes a Life-Threatening Act

The Indian media landscape stands today at one of its most fragile and combustible moments since independence. Once celebrated as a fearless pillar of democracy, capable of challenging the most powerful institutions in the country, the media has increasingly come under political, economic, and criminal pressures that have altered not only its functioning but also its fundamental character. The decline of press freedom in India is no longer an abstract or distant concept; it is a lived reality for many journalists who navigate threats, intimidation, online harassment, criminal cases, and, in the most tragic instances, death. The murders of ground reporters such as Mukesh Chandrakar in Chhattisgarh, Raghvendra Bajpai in Uttar Pradesh, Ashutosh Srivastava in Jaunpur, and Salman Ali Khan in Madhya Pradesh reveal that speaking truth to power is no longer a professional challenge but a life-threatening act.

To understand the severity of this crisis, one must first examine the transformation of Indian media over the past decade. Journalism in India today is shaped by the consolidation of ownership in the hands of a few corporate giants who maintain close ties with political leadership. This concentration of power has created an environment where editorial independence is compromised at multiple levels. Many newsrooms face subtle and overt pressures to align their narratives with the interests of their owners or benefactors, often leading to the quiet shelving of stories that expose corruption, misgovernance, environmental violations, or corporate misconduct. This has contributed to a culture where sensational debates, celebrity gossip, and polarising narratives dominate programming, while investigative journalism, historically one of India’s strongest journalistic traditions, is becoming increasingly rare in mainstream spaces.

The rise of digital media initially appeared to offer a corrective to this decline. Online platforms provided space for critical analysis, data-driven investigations, and alternative viewpoints that mainstream media sometimes ignored. However, the digital space soon became another battlefield. Independent journalists working with smaller online portals are routinely targeted with FIRs, sedition charges, defamation cases, and raids. The weaponisation of laws such as the IT Act and anti-terror provisions, along with widespread online harassment, has made digital journalism an equally dangerous space for those who challenge dominant political or corporate narratives. Women journalists, in particular, face severe gendered abuse, including rape threats, doxxing, and organised trolling campaigns designed to silence them.

Yet the gravest dangers are faced by ground reporters, especially those working in rural or semi-urban Indian districts. These journalists often operate without the institutional support enjoyed by their counterparts in major cities. Many are stringers, freelancers paid per story, who lack job security, insurance, legal aid, or safety equipment. Their work involves travelling long distances, often into conflict zones, remote tribal regions, illegal mining areas, or sites of local corruption. These reporters, in their effort to expose wrongdoing, frequently cross paths with the criminal underbelly of local politics, land mafias, corrupt contractors, and power brokers whose influence extends into administrative and law-enforcement bodies. When such journalists expose corruption affecting local interests, their lives become extremely vulnerable.

The murder of freelance journalist Mukesh Chandrakar in Chhattisgarh in January 2025 is a harrowing reminder of this reality. Chandrakar had reportedly been investigating corruption in a local road construction project. On New Year’s Day, he went missing, and two days later, his body was found hidden inside a contractor’s septic tank. Investigations revealed direct links between his reporting and his murder. This gruesome killing is emblematic of how deeply rooted corruption networks in smaller towns and districts can unleash violence against those who attempt to uncover the truth.

Similarly chilling is the murder of Raghvendra Bajpai, a journalist and RTI activist from Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, who was shot dead on 8 March 2025. His motorcycle was deliberately rammed before assailants fired at him multiple times on a busy highway. Bajpai was widely known for his detailed reporting on land scams, procurement irregularities, and stamp-duty fraud, areas that involved powerful local interests. His killing not only shocked the journalism community but also prompted UNESCO to issue a statement condemning the attack. When international organisations begin to comment on the safety of journalists in India, it signals the seriousness of the situation and the urgent need for systemic reform.

Another tragic case occurred in May 2024, when Ashutosh Srivastava, who worked with Sudarshan News, was shot dead in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh. Srivastava had previously expressed fear for his life and had even approached police for protection after receiving threats linked to his reporting. That he was murdered despite reaching out for help exposes a profound administrative failure. This incident highlights a painful truth: even when journalists identify threats and request protection, the system often does too little, too late. The lack of timely state intervention leaves journalists defenceless against powerful actors.

The murder of Salman Ali Khan in Madhya Pradesh in September 2024 follows a similar pattern. Khan, a broadcast journalist, was fatally shot while riding a scooter with his young son. The fact that he was attacked in the presence of his child not only demonstrates the brazenness of such crimes but also the impunity with which criminals willing to silence journalists operate. Although these murders sometimes spark brief public outcry or court-monitored investigations, they rarely result in structural change capable of preventing similar tragedies in the future.

The common thread across these cases, and many others that often go unreported, is the dangerous combination of local corruption, weak institutional support, and a culture of impunity. Journalists investigating crime, illegal mining, land grabbing, environmental violations, or bureaucratic corruption usually pose threats to powerful people whose influence stretches across government departments and policing networks. When such stories are exposed, violence becomes a tool for silencing dissent. The absence of swift justice further emboldens perpetrators. India has a troubling history of low conviction rates in journalist murder cases, which signals to criminals that they can target reporters without significant consequences.

Beyond physical threats, the psychological toll on journalists in India is immense. Reporters work in an environment filled with fear, unpredictability, and relentless pressure. Many cope with burnout, trauma, and anxiety caused by witnessing violence, receiving threats, or facing online abuse. Women journalists face an additional layer of misogyny and sexual harassment that compounds their stress. In such an environment, self-censorship becomes a survival mechanism. Reporters may avoid certain topics, not because they lack the ability or willingness to investigate, but because they fear retaliation. This climate of fear undermines the fundamental democratic value of a free and independent press.

The failures of media organisations further aggravate the problem. In many instances, media houses do not provide adequate training, safety equipment, legal assistance, or mental-health support to their reporters. Ground journalists, who face the greatest risks, often receive the least support. Some news organisations hesitate to publicly defend their own reporters if doing so might anger powerful political or corporate allies. When media houses themselves prioritise their business interests over the protection of their employees, the message sent to journalists is clear: they are on their own.

Ultimately, violence against journalists poses a grave threat to Indian democracy. Free press is often described as the fourth pillar of democracy precisely because it holds those in power accountable. When journalists are intimidated, attacked, or killed, stories of corruption, exploitation, and injustice remain buried. Citizens are deprived of the information they need to make informed decisions, and democratic accountability weakens. The erosion of press freedom also creates a fertile ground for misinformation and propaganda, which can easily influence public opinion in the absence of credible and independent journalism.

The killings of journalists also silence entire communities. When a reporter is murdered, the stories they were working on often disappear with them. This not only denies justice to victims of corruption or wrongdoing but also reinforces the power of those who commit such crimes. Their control strengthens when journalists are too afraid to report against them. For every journalist who is killed, dozens more are quietly threatened, coerced, or forced into silence.

Addressing this crisis requires a holistic approach that involves the government, media organisations, civil society, and the public. India urgently needs stronger legal protections for journalists that guarantee swift investigation and prosecution in cases of violence against them. Police forces must be trained to treat threats to journalists with seriousness, ensuring timely protection when needed. Media organisations must prioritise reporter safety, invest in training and legal assistance, and create stronger structures to support freelancers or stringers who are most vulnerable. Society at large must recognise that protecting journalists is not a favour to the press, it is a duty that safeguards democratic values.

India’s journalists continue to show extraordinary courage despite these challenges. In remote villages, conflict zones, and bustling cities, reporters persist in uncovering stories that matter, often at the cost of their own safety. Their determination reflects a truth stronger than any threat: journalism is not just a profession, but a public service essential to the functioning of a free society. Yet the dangers they face cannot be normalised. When journalists risk their lives to expose the truth, their work must be honoured, protected, and empowered, not suppressed.

The murders of ground reporters like Chandrakar, Bajpai, Srivastava, and Khan are stark reminders that the battle for press freedom in India is far from over. They reflect not only individual tragedies but also systemic failures that weaken the country’s democratic foundations. As long as journalists continue to be targeted for telling the truth, the nation’s claim to being a healthy democracy remains incomplete. Protecting journalists is, at its core, protecting the right of every Indian citizen to know the truth. And a democracy that fails to defend its truth-tellers risks losing its very soul.