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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.