By Committee To Protect Journalists
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
From April 19 until June 1, the world’s biggest democracy will hold the world’s biggest election, which the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been in power since 2014, is expected to win.
CPJ spoke to reporters and editors across India about their plans for covering these historic parliamentary elections in a difficult environment for the media, which has seen critical websites censored, prominent editors quit and independent outlets bought by politically-connected conglomerates, while divisive content has grown in popularity.
Chief among journalists’ concerns is election violence.
Many journalists fear that they will not receive adequate protection or support from their newsrooms on dangerous assignments.
More than a dozen journalists were harassed or injured during the 2020 Delhi riots, the capital’s worst communal violence in decades, in which more than 50 people died.
Read CPJ’s safety guide for journalists covering the India election
Read more of CPJ’s India coverage
