Fake news and freedom of the press
by Sudhir Selvaraj, Global Christian News.
[…] Addressing the spread of fake news should be a priority for news and social media outlets but the (attempted) moves by the Malaysian and India governments should be viewed as nothing less than an assault on the freedom of the press. This is because clear guidelines are not provided as to what fake news is and more significantly, the government itself has the final say in deciding what news is fake and what is true.
The timing of these moves is especially troubling as both countries have elections coming up within a year. Both countries already have abysmal track records when it comes to their relationship with the press. The international organization, Reporters Without Borders since 2002 has produced its annual World Press Freedom Index. Out of 180 countries, India was ranked 136 and Malaysia at 144 in terms of media freedom.
These moves obviously have serious repercussions for the health of democracy by giving the government another way of curbing opposition and dissent. A vibrant media is essential at promoting accountability.
In particular, Prime Minister Modi has not given a single press conference in his nearly four years in office. But scrutiny by the media is vital.
This is more important now more than ever as the current government has been strongly linked to a Hindutva ideology which among other things believes that Christians are foreign to the Indian nation, and enemies to its integrity.
Over the past few years in the country, journalists have experienced high levels of violence including intimidation by police and the high-profile murder of Gauri Lankesh, an ardent opponent of Hindutva who was gunned down on the steps of her own house in Bangalore.
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