Reporters Without Orders Ep 270: Women in media, hazards of local journalism

This week, host Basant Kumar is joined by The Quint’s reporter Himanshi Dahiya, founder of Main Media Tanzil Asif and senior journalist from ETV Bihar Umesh Pandey.  

In view of the World Press Freedom Day, the panel discusses the state of media in India, and the challenges staring it. The conversation is stirred by an acknowledgement of the recent decline in India’s press freedom ranking and the government's subsequent denial on the subject. 

Himanshi takes us through her experiences as a mediaperson and emphasises that media spaces only have a faint presence of women, while men still dominate the landscape. “The male gaze and dominance are still pervasive in the media.” 

Tanzil shares his experience of doing hyper-local journalism, and its hazards in contrast with the mainstream media. He recounts the fears that accompany matters involving local representatives, who often pressure journalists. While Tanzil talks about the onslaught on press freedom, Umesh explains his circumstances as a local journalist in Bihar and how his ground reports led to the filing of FIRs against him. 

This and a lot more, Tune in! 

Timecodes

00:00:00 - Introduction

00:02:36 - Press Freedom 

01:02:42 - Recommendations

Recommendations

Himanshi

NCERT textbook revision: Why it happens every few years & what makes it controversial

Umesh

14 साल बाद भी 38 हजार घरों में नहीं पहुंचा शुद्ध गंगाजल, 2009 में ट्रीटमेंट प्लांट का हुआ था शिलान्यास

Tanzil

बांग्ला भाषा का मतलब ‘घुसपैठ’ कैसे हो गया दैनिक जागरण?

Basant

Delhi riots: Inside the ‘Kattar Hindu’ WhatsApp group that planned, executed murders

Umar Khalid Arrested: What Delhi Riot Charge Sheets Say About Him

No Nation for Women: Journalist Priyanka Dubey on her searing reportage on rape in India

How Varun Gandhi Silenced The System

Produced by Tehreem Roshan, recorded by Anil Kumar, and edited by Umrav Singh.