Independent journalists in India said no to propaganda

In the whirlwind of India’s elections, while other media outlets were busy spinning stories, Newslaundry – an independent newsroom based in India – was cleaning up the mess.

India’s media has fallen into an “unofficial state of emergency”, according to Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. As prime minister, RSF says, Modi orchestrated a remarkable rapprochement between his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and influential media moguls, creating “Godi media” (a play on Modi's name and the word for “lap dogs”). Mixing populism with pro-BJP propaganda, this large segment of the Indian press is loud and on the march.

That’s where Newslaundry comes in. I chatted with Aban Usmani, the associate editor, to learn about their mission to clean up the media, scrub away the grime of government propaganda, and polish the facts to a shine.

Usmani’s team, though small – only six reporters and three editors – managed to cover a vast range of stories across the country. From gender issues in rural India to exposing false claims by the BJP, their coverage provided a vital antidote to the government propaganda.

Despite the overwhelming dominance of pro-BJP narratives in mainstream media, Modi’s anticipated landslide victory did not materialise. The government propaganda – what Orwell called Newspeak – was counteracted by newsrooms like Newslaundry.

For instance, Modi and his party’s claims about the accelerated development of schools, education, jobs, sanitation and healthcare were reported by Hindi media outlets as unquestionable facts. Newslaundry stepped in to provide context and fact-checking, ensuring the public received a clearer, more accurate picture.

As Usmani told me, despite the positive narrative spun under BJP rule: “Nothing changes for Uttar Pradesh voters. Nothing changes for the Dalit voter. Nothing changes for tribal voters. Nothing changes for the Muslim voter.”

I asked Usmani about his newsroom’s approach and what they do differently. He first explained that “there are no holy cows in our newsroom”; rather it is the truth that is sacred.

“If you have the facts, if the reporter has the facts,” he said, “our editors always encourage them to file the story. Just file the story, get your facts, get the evidence in place. It’s risky being one of those few media voices that can really criticise the government in the way that we can.”

Their commitment to independent journalism has not come without significant challenges. “We have received more than 50 income tax notices in the past couple of years from the government,” he said. “They accuse us of financial impropriety, but that has really not been the case. Despite these constant notices, which the courts have repeatedly had to address, we continue our work undeterred. These tactics have not managed to affect our reportage or the kind of shows we produce.”

There have also been physical dangers faced by their reporters on the ground. “Some of our reporters have been assaulted on the ground and threatened … If your face is out there, you’re identified,” he told me.

He told me about a particularly harrowing incident from April 2022 during a Hindu Mahapanchayat event, where several right-wing activists were present. “Some reporters, including ours, were assaulted. We were not the only ones – there were a couple of other reporters as well. Two FIRs were filed, but not much happened.” (FIRs are First Information Reports, which the police write when they receive information about an offence.)

Newslaundry’s role in the 2024 elections was a breath of fresh air in a media landscape clouded by government propaganda. The team established themselves as a crucial voice, offering the public a clean alternative to mainstream media's often murky waters. And people listened, Usmani said. “In the aftermath of the elections, when the results were counted, a lot of people hailed the role played by the independent media outlets.”

“Voter suppression and election fraud: this is a topic that is not touched very often by the Indian press. A lot of the conversation around elections in India happens about the celebration of Indian democracy and how it’s such a great event, but there’s another side to it which is what we have tried to capture.

The prime minister was going all over the country making speeches that were not just dog-whistling against Muslims but also hate speech. Muslims constitute almost 15% of India and the election commission was not doing anything about it.

​​The commission normally speaks to the press a lot during an election. But this election, we saw that they did not hold a single press conference. That is unprecedented.

After two and a half months, the chief election commissioner finally did conduct a press conference. Most questions were about the prime minister and how he conducted himself. But the commissioner didn’t take many questions, which was unusual. So I went around the stage and I shouted at him.

I said, “You’re doing a press conference after two and a half months, you should take more questions.” He heard me, luckily, and he pointed towards backstage. He said, “Let’s meet there.” We met in the back room and I got the opportunity to ask him one question: why the Commission had failed to rein in Modi’s election speeches targeting Muslims throughout his campaign.

He admitted that the election commission had decided that it would not take action against the two leaders on any poll code violation during the election campaign. That, as a lot of people have since commented on, is a violation of the constitutional authority of the election commission. In his exact words, he said: “We deliberately decided – this is such a huge nation – that the top two people in both the parties we did not touch.”

He was a little uncomfortable answering the question. And we have reproduced his quotes accurately to the last letter.”

Elections have been on my mind for the past week – between a landslide here in the UK and the nail-biter in France over the weekend, it’s been a great time for anyone fond of the old swingometer.

It’s also kept everyone at TBIJ very busy! My colleagues have published stories on everything from influence operations using AI to generate fake news to parties accepting illegal campaign donations. (That last one’s from my team, but obviously I would never play favourites…)

But election stories don’t just affect the result at the polls – they’re also about setting standards for whoever ends up in government. And, as Newslaundry does, setting standards for the media itself, to report honestly and frankly, and give people the information they need when they vote.

That’s all for now, have a lovely week guys.