Press freedom in India and Argentina

In India, an Australian journalist from the national channel ABC was expelled in the middle of covering the election. In Argentina, Javier Milei and his government’s verbal attacks on journalists are incessant.

It is increasingly difficult to work as a journalist in Narenda Modi’s India. The Indian president, who has been in power for ten years, is currently seeking a third term in general elections, the outcome of which will be known in June. He never gave an interview or held a press conference. On April 19, 2024, Avani Dias, the India correspondent for Australian radio and television ABC, had to leave the country because the authorities refused to renew her visa.

In Argentina, the insults and attacks by Javier Milei’s government against journalists are constant and worrying. Since December 2023, the start of Javier Milei’s administration as president, four out of ten attacks on the press have come from the head of state himself or his ministers, according to a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, published on May 1, 2024. On March 4, 2024, as he announced in his program, Javier Milei also closed the Argentine press agency Télam. Some are worried about the risks of authoritarian drift.

India: press freedom is in crisis, denounces RSF

Avani Dias, the Australian journalist correspondent for the ABC in India since 2021, had to leave India on April 19. The Indian authorities accused him of‘have done his job. The straw that broke the camel’s back was an episode of a show which is a bit like the Australian equivalent ofCorrespondentdevoted to the alleged assassination of a Sikh separatist instigated by Indian power in Canada and which, according to Canadian authorities, was perpetrated by Indian agents.

A few days before learning that his visa would not be renewed, which normally happens without difficulty, the Indian authorities blocked the report on YouTube. The Australian authorities tried to plead its case with the Indian government, but as Avani Dias herself explained, it had become impossible for her to do her job. “I was struggling to cover public events organized by Modi’s party and the government wouldn’t even give me the necessary accreditation to cover the elections.”explains the journalist in a podcast. Avani Dias has since returned to Australia where she still works for ABC and joined the team that produces “Four Corners”, Australia’s leading investigative show. While in India, in its latest report, Reporters Without Borders believes that press freedom is in crisis.

The Australian government does not express any criticism

Australian authorities therefore worked behind the scenes to try to allow Avani Dias to continue practicing in India. But the government, faced with the ever more exacerbated authoritarianism of Narendra Modi, does not express any criticism. It’s actually quite the opposite, since in August 2023, Narendra Modi came to Sydney, and Anthony Albanese, in front of a crowd of supporters, even went so far as to call him “the boss”. He subsequently explained to journalists that it was not his role to denounce his Indian counterpart’s attacks on certain freedoms, that he was first and foremost ensuring that Australia’s interests were advanced. And in this matter, they are twofold. India is a huge market that Australia sees as a preferable alternative to China, on which it is very dependent economically, but also as an ally, in terms of security. Thus, India is, along with the United States, Japan and therefore Australia, a member of the Quad, an informal alliance which aims to contain China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.

Argentina: Javier Milei calls journalism “the worst sewer in the universe”

First there are the direct verbal attacks that journalists face in Argentina. On several occasions, the ultraliberal president, Javier Milei, elected since December 10, 2023, has described journalists as “corrupt”“liars“, or even “morons“. The head of state described journalism as “the worst sewer in the universe”. In addition to these insults, Milei frequently denigrates the press on social networks, which gives rise to an increase in attacks from Internet users who admire the president.

Furthermore, access to executive power is quite restricted. Even if the government spokesperson gives a press conference every day, which is visible to everyone on YouTube, it remains difficult for a journalist who is not necessarily a supporter of ultraliberal ideas to have an interview with a minister , a deputy or a member of the government. So relations are clearly strained between the presidency and the press.

The fear of an authoritarian drift

Many journalists fear that this tendency toward generalizations and insults could lead to physical attacks. The fact that the State, through the figure of the president, attacks the press, validates, authorizes and even incites violence. Because the contempt and mockery come not only from the president, but also from the ministers.

We also see the development, cause of attacks on social networks, a phenomenon of digital harassment against certain journalists, who therefore feel persecuted, threatened and stigmatized. We are also concerned about the risks of authoritarian drift with the closure of the Argentine press agency Télam a month ago. More recently, in a bill approved Tuesday by deputies, there is talk of privatizing public television and radio.