Month: February 2023

A few weeks after the BBC released a documentary titles India: The Modi Question, which probed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in communal violence in Gujarat in 2002, when he was the state’s Chief Minister, its offices in India have been raided by the Income Tax authorities.On February 14, a team of Income Tax Officials landed at the broadcaster’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai and seized all the employees’ computers and personal phones. While the tax department has not put out any official press release, several media organisations quoted “sources” to say that this was a “survey” which formed a part of a tax investigation.In a short statement, the BBC said it was “fully cooperating” with authorities, adding that it hoped to have the situation “resolved as soon as possible.”

While a senior advisor to the government told a local news channel that there was no connection between the documentary and the investigation, media watchdogs and rights groups have expressed fear that the raids are politically motivated.The documentary, which was not officially released in India, made its way to YouTube and other video streaming platforms. The government called it “a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative” and days later, invoked special emergency powers to get social media platforms to block it completely.The ruling Bharatiya Janta Party’s spokesperson called the BBC “corrupt” and “rubbish” and that it should “respect Indian law.”In recent years, similar raids have targeted journalists and civil society organizations critical of the Indian government with criminal cases under India’s opaque terrorism and sedition laws, and allegations of financial misconduct and improper foreign funding that have been used to freeze bank accounts.The Press Club of India, in a statement, condemned the survey and said that it was, “part of a series of attacks on the media by the government agencies in recent times, especially against those sections of the media that the government perceives is hostile to it and critical of the ruling establishment.” It added that, “this latest instance appears to be a clear-cut case of vendetta, coming within weeks of a documentary aired by the BBC on the Gujarat riots.”The Editors Guild of India, in a statement, said: “This comes soon after the release of two documentaries by the BBC, on 2002 violence in Gujarat and the current status of the minorities in India … This is a trend that undermines constitutional democracy.” The Committee to Protect Journalists said: “Raiding the BBC’s India offices in the wake of a documentary criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi smacks of intimidation. Indian authorities have used tax investigations as a pretext to target critical news outlets before, and must cease harassing BBC employees immediately, in line with the values of freedom that should be espoused in the world’s largest democracy.”Reporters Without Borders tweeted: “The searches by the tax authorities of the offices of BBC World in India, 3 weeks after the censorship of his documentary on Narendra Modi, constitutes an outrageous reprisal. RSF denounces these attempts to silence any criticism of the Indian government.” In the 2022 edition of the annual press freedom index published by Reporters Without Borders, India fell to 150th place out of 180 countries.Western governments, however, have been silent on the “surveys”. The UK government has not put anything on record, while the US made a generic comment on the “importance of a free press around the world”.Speaking to scroll.in, many foreign journalists said it was increasingly becoming clear to them that they had little backing from their governments back home. […]

The Voice of Vietnam celebrated World Radio Day with a talk show at its headquarters in Hanoi on Monday.The event was attended by journalists, representatives of listeners’ clubs and nearly 300 students of journalism and communication.Themed “Radio and Peace”, this year’s World Radio Day focuses on the role of radio in promoting cohesion, sympathy, sharing, speaking out against injustice in society, and addressing conflicts and disputes toward building a peaceful and compassionate society.

The speakers included Pham Manh Hung, VOV Vice President and Chairman of VOV Journalists Association, Philomena Gnanapragasam, Director of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), Journalist Cong Vinh of Voice of People’s Ho Chi Minh City (VOH) and Journalist Thu Hoa of VOV Ethnic Affairs Department (VOV4).The guest journalists talked about the opportunities, challenges, and the role of radio in promoting peace and defusing tension and conflict. They also shared stories about their profession and their passion for radio journalism.Journalist Le Quoc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan newspaper and Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists Association, said: “The Voice of Vietnam has taken bold steps in the digital transformation process. Its radio programs were originally from the waves and now are available on the Internet platform, spreading to people in all regions as well as internationally. This approach is certainly in the right direction.”VOV President Do Tien Sy said that VOV is always proud of the voice of conscience, the fight for the aspiration for freedom and independence, and joint efforts to build a peaceful world.“VOV is a pioneer in innovating and modernizing the media to meet the public needs in the era of booming new kinds of media. VOV pays great attention to innovating broadcast programs to attract more investment and enhance interaction with the public, thus improving their quality and turning radio into a true companion of the public in all circumstances,” said Sy.Hai Quang, vice president of Voice of Vietnam (VOV), in his article written on the occasion of World Radio Day, said: “Radio represents both a powerful and effective tool used to promote peace and security, whilst it plays a significant role in enhancing mutual understanding and enhancing dialogue in order to reduce conflicts.”Earlier, in a pre-recorded video sent to the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) to mark World Radio Day 2023, the leadership of VOV affirmed radio’s role in assisting in reducing tensions, preventing conflicts and fostering peace by acting as a tool for humanitarian communication. […]