For those who are enthusiastic about the ever-evolving world order and track Foreign Policy, you may ask them “Whether the Indian Foreign Policy, in recent times, has evolved or not?” and, without a doubt, the answer would be a unanimous YES! Leaving aside the broader aspect of Foreign Policy alone, there has also been a paradigm shift in India’s attitude towards handling western media’s alleged biased and negative coverages on India.
The same has been testified on several occasions including the Farmers Protest and the recent reportage on India purchasing Energy Resources from Western-Sanctioned Russia. With strong statements coming from the Ministry of External Affairs, the message is clear-India is willing to keep its uncompromised position on a plethora of issues like Article 370, PoK, or be it Russia-Ukraine war.
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Shikha Rai, an educationist who writes about Politics, Governance, Economy & Foreign Policy and has in-depth knowledge about these subjects, decodes how India is battling misinformation, fake and politically-motivated biased news.
The might of India’s MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) at the South Block has made it clear that India, as a Democratic State, respects the profession of Journalism. However, under no circumstances, the country is ready to not allow misinformation to spread. India has a crucial role to play in this bipolar world order and the Government clearly understands that biased, agenda-driven reporting has the potential to create diplomatic rifts at a time between two nation, particularly when India’s global standing is growing exponentially, just as its GDP grew, ultimately overtaking the United Kingdom's in terms of size, making it the fifth biggest.
There have been numerous incidents when India has raised concerns with the relevant authorities whenever there has been malicious politically-driven news against India. In 2012, a host of a pioneer British media produced a tasteless Top Gear Christmas Special that sparked fury at the Indian High Commission. The anchor caused a massive outrage with an episode set in India in which he strips to his boxer shorts in front of his hosts and hangs offensive banners on trains. The Indian High Commission complained that the programme was 'replete with cheap jibes, tasteless humour and lacked cultural sensitivity.' However, the media house refused to apologise, potentially threatening to disrupt India’s growing relation with Britain.
Three years later, in 2015, a famous global media outlet based in the USA, published a story with a cartoon, titled – ‘India at the climate change’. It showed a giant, lethargic-looking elephant blocking a coal-chugging steam engine, labeled ‘Paris Climate Summit’. It was
xenophobic and condescending. They wanted to hold India responsible for the climate summit failure, conveniently forgetting that all the developed countries ‘overused’ nonrenewable resources, like coal, during the peak of their industrialization. India’s per-capita carbon emissions add up to just 1.7 metric tons, 10 times less than America’s per-capita emissions.
I personally believe that these trends have seen a sharp surge post 2014. Last Year, in 2021, a renowned British wire agency published a report titled – ‘After COVID surge, some signs of internal dissent against India’s Modi’, suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing dissent and dissatisfaction within his own party, BJP, due to Covid-19 cases. The report was based only on the testimony of Govind Pasi, a 45 years old BJP worker from Uttar Pradesh, who was portrayed as someone unhappy with the party and the leadership. His statements were attributed to an ‘anonymous’ BJP leader to suggest that Modi was facing internal dissent. However, when contacted by some Indian media platforms, Pasi rubbished the report, saying he was offered ‘benefits’ and ‘help’ as reward for his statements, which were twisted to depict him as anti-Modi. He further revealed the journalist stopped receiving his phone calls since they published his interview.
The Information Technology and communication revolution is easily one of the most amazing success stories of independent India, with a booming technology sector that includes software and IT services, business process outsourcing, engineering R&D, and technology start-ups. In 2021, it generated revenue of a whopping $227 billion, as per industry data.
Unfortunately, this rise in stature is, from time to time, minimized and belittled by reportage on stories around Indian cyber professionals and hackers. There are several stories that speak of India as a hub for European cyber investigators, who commission Indian cyber professionals to carry out cyber-attacks. Such stories make for a good read since it talks about a mysterious world where information is stolen and sold, but reflect very little about the whole truth.
Recent reports in the Indian media have underlined some questionable practices used by a few reporters of a British wire agency who, in a bid to gather information on a cyber-related story, adopted some covert, coercive tactics. They reached out to a number of cyber professionals placed in critical government sectors, seeking data for their story. In such cases, there is a risk to security of crucial information.
Even in a democratic country like India, red lines must be drawn, especially in matters where National Security could be a concern.
News reporting should not be cold, especially in a country like India where emotions and sentiments make us who we are.
