Indian Media: When Remaining Independent Becomes the Last Option

Last year, around Independence Day in India, Karma Paljor, the Editor-in-Chief of East Mojo, a prominent digital news platform, issued a heartfelt appeal. His YouTube video bore the urgent headline, "East Mojo is on the verge of shutting down but you can help us survive." This desperate plea for support pretty much encapsulates the dire state of Indian media outlets that do independent journalism. 

"24 hours before Independence Day, we founded eastmojo.com in 2018. Today, on Independence Day, we are not celebrating, as you can see. We are packing up to move to a smaller and more affordable office. Why? Because five years after starting East Mojo, I can only say with a heavy heart that we are at a point of no return. Over the next few weeks or months, we could either rise again or simply shut down," said Paljor in his video appeal. 

Paljor is a recognisable face in Indian media. Formerly an anchor with CNN News 18, he left the glitz of mainstream media to pursue independent journalism, aiming to represent the Northeast and bring stories from the region to the rest of India. Most stories from the Northeast often don't get reported in mainstream media or are relegated to very little space on the inside pages of newspapers and minimal coverage on TV news.

Why do digital media outlets like East Mojo, despite their stellar reporting, continually face financial challenges? The Indian digital media landscape has evolved significantly, with numerous news outlets vying for space on the internet. However, for those committed to upholding the core values of journalism, financial instability remains a persistent issue.

Karma elaborates in his video, "Ad revenue is minimal, and YouTube won't allow us to monetise most of our videos due to the nature of the stories we cover. Additionally, investors do not find our region profitable or safe enough for work… We may succeed or fail, but we will not go down without a fight".

Amit Kumar, the Executive Editor of East Mojo, reports that the news organisation is recovering from the difficult times experienced last year, although challenges persist. "I am glad to say that we are recovering now and the future looks promising and stable. We plan to up the ante on our coverage of environmental issues, climate change, and other insightful content that almost never gets covered by other Northeast-based outlets," he says.

Kumar explains that running a newsroom in the Northeast faces more challenges than in other parts. "The challenges are plenty, but that said, we absolutely expect to successfully implement a subscriber-based model, complemented by a capable ad-revenue model. Our readers have always been our first line of reporters: from messages to emails to opinion columns and even helping us find accommodation, they have always helped us do stories. Our motto of letting stakeholders be storytellers has helped us reach where we are," he elaborates.

Organisations like East Mojo quickly adapted to change. They say their funding crisis helped them rework their revenue model. "We are now efficient, leaner, and sharper than ever before… The only thing we can do to attract readers is by doing stories that matter; something that we seek to do every day," Kumar adds.

Unfortunately, many Indian media outlets are not as fortunate. Numerous digital media organisations falter and disappear with alarming regularity. This steady erosion of independent journalism signals a worrying trend, says Sanjay Kapoor, Editor of Hardnews and the Executive Committee Member of Editors Guild of India. 

Kapoor elaborates, "When you go to the field and engage with people on the ground, it becomes apparent that the true pulse of the people is often missing from published stories. Disinformation is infiltrating the media. Why is this happening? Why is the media in crisis? It invariably circles back to the same problem—funding. Adequate funding is crucial for the survival and prosperity of independent media. Indian media needs support from entities committed to ensuring that reality is accurately reported."

Funding Not the Sole Challenge for Independent Journalism 

In November 2019, the Press Information Bureau (PIB), a nodal agency under the Government of India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, established a Fact Check Unit (FCU) to monitor media organisations. While the government claimed this initiative was to combat fake news related to various governmental bodies, the underlying intent seemed to be curbing adversarial reporting.

In March, the Supreme Court intervened, staying the government's decision to set up the FCU. "In the name of media regulation, excessive force is being used on the media to suppress negative coverage of government affairs. There has been a call for self-regulation of the media, but this has invariably either suggested or led to greater government involvement or interference. The Supreme Court's decision to disband the Fact Checking Unit was primarily because the government should not dictate media operations. If the government begins directing media content, there would be no effective oversight of government actions, which is fundamentally the media's responsibility," states Kapoor.

The government has exerted extensive efforts to control digital media in India. In 2021, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules were introduced, granting the centre greater control over digital media platforms. This regulatory environment has effectively put the media under siege, significantly limiting the reporting on rampant corruption within various ministries. As a result, the public remains largely uninformed about critical issues. They have limited access to real information. In turn, they have massive access to powerful propaganda. This is also reflected in India's ranking on the World Press Freedom Index, which has consistently fallen from 140 in 2014 to 159 by 2024.

Kapoor adds, "It is a very difficult job for journalists to remain independent because there is enormous pressure. There are too many threats coming in. If you try to report anything that doesn't resonate with the party in power, they could have FIRs filed against you, cause deep misery, or get you arrested. Journalism is facing challenging times these days."

In the midst of challenges faced by the Indian media landscape, a beacon of hope emerges in the form of dedicated investigative journalism. One such commendable effort is exemplified by The Reporters’ Collective (TRC), which started its operations in 2021 and has since garnered acclaim for its investigative reporting. Despite affirming that they haven't yet encountered direct governmental pressure, TRC acknowledges the pervasive atmosphere of fear, particularly among potential donors. 

Nitin Sethi, journalist and Trustee of The Reporters' Collective, points out that the belief among potential donors that supporting their investigative efforts could lead to trouble has more or less permeated their minds. “Fortunately, so far we have not encountered any direct political pressure but the donors are fearful. We are committed to keeping our stories open and avoid paywalls, which is why we rely on donations rather than subscriptions. While we receive donations, the amount is minuscule compared to that received by legacy newsrooms.”

Sethi adds that independent journalists are constantly living on the edge in India, “If you see the amount of money that we spend overall for resources, salaries, and operational costs for a month in our organisation, it would probably be less than the monthly salary of a senior journalist in a legacy newsroom. But we are able to do good journalism, and like in legacy newsrooms, we are not scared of the owner who doesn’t want adversarial reporting to be done. That is why citizens are appreciating our journalism, and they are also paying that kind of amount for one story to us which probably they wouldn't pay for an entire year for a legacy news organisation. Some legacy news media organisations have money to pay salaries of their staff for the next ten years. In TRC we go by a three month window period ensuring that we have money to finance our operations for the next three months. Journalists like us are always living on the edge”.

Dive deeper with The Probe. For thoughtful analysis and in-depth stories directly to your phone, join our WhatsApp channel. Click and Connect with us Today: [WhatsApp Channel Link] 🔗

At The Probe, our commitment to social impact journalism is at the core of everything we do. Funded by well-meaning individuals from the public, our aim is to drive positive social change and make a real-world impact through the stories we report.

If you wish to support us, please visit our Truth Brigade page and contribute to a cause that resonates with you the most. It is through your support that we have been able to keep the flame of our journalism alive in these difficult times. Click link to support us to make a difference: https://theprobe.in/truth-brigade