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✍️ Written by Saket Suman Writing and journalism are always under pressure. Pressure is their natural habitat. The tragedy now is that comfort has begun to cunningly pass off as success. The cushioned chairs, the familiar faces and the reliable applause!  A profession that cannot tolerate discomfort will eventually lose the ability to describe reality. And reality, unlike these sponsored festivals, does not curate itself. Nuremberg Rallies weren’t just big speeches.  They were mass propaganda spectacles;Via: Amber Speaks Up What we are watching unfold before our eyes is both censorship and choreography. Writing has already learned its steps. Journalism now knows when to enter and when to exit. There is a colourful, orderly, well sponsored parade underway where everyone is encouraged to carry a banner that says dissent provided they do not wander off the designated route. The music swells at the right moments when the masters of the ring ...

✍️ Written by Saket Suman Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday addressed a press conference in New Delhi where both male and female journalists were present. This is a marked departure from the earlier controversy that erupted over the exclusion of women reporters from a similar event. Speaking at the presser, Muttaqi addressed the backlash over the earlier incident, saying the exclusion of women was not deliberate but rather a result of logistical constraints.  Women journalists at Taliban Presser. Image Via: Dr Pooja Tripathi “Regarding the press conference, it was due to the short notice. The participation list was prepared with specific journalists, and it was neither a technical issue nor any deliberate exclusion. It was not intended,” he said. The clarification came after significant condemnation from opposition leaders, press freedom bodies, and civil society.  The Editors Guild of India and the Indian Women Pre...

✍️ Written by Saket Suman A press conference by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi on Friday is drawing sharp scrutiny for barring women journalists, who were not permitted to attend the event, held at the Afghan Embassy just hours after Muttaqi met with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.  The media interaction was restricted to a select group of male reporters.  Image Source: Hafiz Zia Ahmed This has triggered political backlash and raised uncomfortable questions about India’s diplomatic posture toward the Taliban regime. The media interaction was restricted to a select group of male reporters, in apparent adherence to the Taliban’s gender-exclusionary norms. People familiar with the matter said the list of invitees was prepared by Taliban officials, and not by Indian authorities.  According to some sources, the Indian side had suggested that women reporters also be included, but the recommendation was not heeded. The exclusion has spa...

In a week that has seen Indian journalists face legal action, threats, and public targeting from both ruling and opposition parties, the question before the country is not which political ideology stands accused--it is whether democracy itself can thrive when journalists become targets instead of messangers. Image Source: Shiv Aroor on X On Sunday, the Editors Guild of India expressed serious concern over Congress leader Pawan Khera’s announcement that a criminal complaint had been filed against senior journalist Shiv Aroor, in connection with a broadcast on NDTV concerning alleged electoral irregularities in Maharashtra.  The reportage included remarks by a psephologist that were later corrected for factual errors, yet were labelled by Khera as a “malicious attempt” to defame the Congress party and its leadership. Without commenting on the content itself, the Guild rightly flagged what it called a “creeping tendency to invoke criminal charges against members of the media in respo...

The UN Human Rights Office has condemned a targeted Israeli strike in Gaza that killed six journalists, including five from Al Jazeera.  Calling it a “grave breach” of international law, the rights body has slammed the targeted attack severely. Among the dead was correspondent Anas al-Sharif, accused by Israel of being a Hamas operative, an allegation he denied.  Image Source: Leila Molana-Allen Media groups, Qatar, and the UK have demanded an independent investigation, with CPJ accusing Israel of a “pattern” of labelling Palestinian journalists as militants without proof.  Funerals for Sharif and colleagues were held Monday.  CPJ says at least 186 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, the deadliest period on record.  The strike comes amid worsening humanitarian conditions, with UN agencies warning of famine and over 61,000 deaths in Gaza since Israel’s campaign began.