Global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which publishes a yearly report on press freedom in countries across the world, had last year ranked India at 150 in a survey of 180 countries.
The minister said the government was committed to ensuring the right to freedom of speech and expression enshrined under Article 19 of the Constitution.
Attacks against journalists by supporters of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party increased in the run-up to general elections in the spring of 2019, the analysis alleged.
France-based media rights organisation Reporters Without Borders issued its annual press freedom index for 2010, in which India dropped 17 positions and was ranked at 122 among the 178 ranked countries.
In the list of 180 countries mapped, India stands at 136, down from last year's 133, colour-coded again in red to show the situation as "difficult".
The annual Reporters Without Borders analysis attributed the decline in index to "pressure on the media to toe the Hindu nationalist government's line."
The report shows that there has been a deep and disturbing decline in respect for media freedom at both the global and regional levels.
The India body said there was a "lack of clarity" on the inputs that weighed in the rankings which were based on "opinion or perception".
The nation ranked 138 among 180 countries, according to the annual World Press Freedom Index report.
'Parsis are inclined towards people who work for the welfare of others.'
Mundane as it may seem, this is in some ways a metaphor for the challenges facing the nation, argue Arvind Subramanian and Devesh Kapur in their new book, A Sixth Of Humanity.
Seven journalists were incarcerated in India in 2021 and 2022, the highest in three decades.
The rhetoric that we are fed daily needs to be measured against performance and the facts. That is not happening, points out Aakar Patel.
India has for the first time secured a place among the top 100 out of 167 countries ranked for their progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a report published on Tuesday. According to the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network's 10th and latest Sustainable Development Report (SDR), India ranks 99th on the 2025 SDG Index with a score of 67, while China ranks 49th with 74.4 and the US 44th with 75.2 points.
'What is going on is the under counting of the migration population in urban areas.' 'It has been going on in the last few censuses.'
'On the international platform, the prime minister is talking about freedom of speech and he should be ashamed of it'
Besides the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, a bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian also issued notices to the News Broadcasters Association, the News Broadcasting Standards Authority of India and the Press Council of India on the PIL filed by Delhi-based lawyer Reepak Kansal.
Information technology industry veteran V Balakrishnan on Thursday criticised the new digital rules, alleging that they appear to be unduly compromising the privacy right of citizens. The two key issues with the new IT rules relate to user privacy, which is a fundamental right, and the oversight mechanism lying fully with the executive arm of the government, said the former chief financial officer of Bengaluru-headquartered IT major Infosys Ltd.
At some stage this fall in the quality of life will begin to hurt anybody's popularity, observes Shekhar Gupta.
The speech he gave in which he accused the Congress of getting black money in tempos from Ambani and Adani is remarkable.' 'It is a self-goal for sure, but indicates someone who has lost control, someone who is rattled.'
Now we must first compete with Bangladesh. This is not what we had been promised, notes Aakar Patel.
'I criticise the interference of the army in politics.' 'But the people know I am not anti-Pakistan.' 'Public support is my biggest strength.'
'Laws have been used in a way to serve the needs of the current regime and its authoritarian ideology.'
A free press is not necessarily an unbiased press. The media curates what it presents to the public, and that curation is driven by multiple considerations, argues Devangshu Datta.
Denmark is the most democratic nation on earth, according to a list published by the World Democracy Audit.
The entire operation was meant to have a chilling effect on independent journalists, those not completely subservient to the regime, the small section still doing what the Fourth Estate should do -- raising questions to those in power.
No lives were lost after cyclone Biparjoy made landfall. Preparations for Biparjoy were not only extensive, they were also telecast far and wide. Ahead of the cyclone's landfall, Shyam G Menon observes there was considerable publicity on how much the government was geared up to face the storm and its aftermath.
The government of UP has made it a habit of sorts to move against -- or better still, lock up -- mediapersons who give cause for displeasure, says Shuma Raha.
India has moved down from 32nd place last year and remains classified among 'flawed democracies'.
Squandering the relief due to rain, Delhi recorded a jump in pollution levels and a smoky haze returned on Monday morning after residents flouted the ban on firecrackers on Diwali night.
'Hamas is going to be prepared. There will be booby traps and tunnels; it's going to be door to door fighting.'
When journalism is destroyed, what is destroyed is a common man's weapon against the might of the establishment, notes Sumit Bhattacharya.
The government is attempting everything it can to make sure that this does not happen, observes Aakar Patel.
'If we go in the same direction as them, we cannot expect a different result from them.' 'Our fall is going to be very swift.' 'Within a decade, we can expect the situation to change for the worse.'
Obscenity, cheating and sexual exploitation are India's leading cyber crimes, reports Chaitanya Mallapur.
Our precipitous decline is being noticed and recorded abroad with alarm. It is strange that within India we are carrying on as if it is business as usual, observes Aakar Patel.
India's respectability in the world, particularly the west, lies in its steadfast adherence to ideas and ideals for democracy such as the rule of law, freedom of press, judicial activism and the vibrant civil society -- unlike China, says Rup Narayan Das
For those who think India's democracy is just fine and there has been no change in the last few years, perhaps it would be instructive to see what has happened on a few issues, observes Aakar Patel.
The India government needs to work on policies that can enhance global trade.
'If you talk about any kind of equality, you are under attack.'
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