In yet another attempt to intimidate independent media, income tax officers visited the offices of news sites NewsClick and Newslaundry. The income tax officials termed the visit a “survey” and not “raids.” NewsClick and its founders were raided by the Enforcement Directorate in February this year in a money laundering case. Since the present BJP regime came to power at the Centre, many independent media houses and journalists have been repeatedly harassed using various tax bodies. In the past, organizations like NDTV and The Wire have all been harassed by the present regime. Though no proper case has been made against them till now, the government uses various methods to harass them.
These media houses refuse to toe the line of the government and have been reporting independently. Today, the majority of media houses in the country have become extended mouthpieces of the ruling party. They parrot whatever the government orders them to. Instead of holding the ruling party accountable, the media continue to attack opposition parties and activists who expose the wrongdoing of the government. The media houses are also playing the dangerous role of polarizing society. Daily news is run to divide people on religious lines. There are very few media groups who are still upholding the true values of journalism. However, they are continuously under attack by the ruling party. Every Indian should stand up and support these media houses. Remember, for any democracy to flourish, independent and vibrant media is very important.