Unmasking Silence: How India’s Tight Media Grip Stifles Digital Freedom – Northeast News
Smith Mehta, an Assistant Professor at the University of Groningen, explores the increasing trend of self-censorship among content creators and platforms in India, driven by governmental pressures to avoid penalties and bans. This phenomenon surfaced prominently when the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting summoned Netflix’s content head over the portrayal of the IC-814 hijacking in the series “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.” The controversy centered on alleged inaccuracies and offensive content, stirring complaints from the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and others.
Ameya Balsekar, a media scholar, highlights that India’s government has historically used censorship to suppress dissenting voices, but under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there is now a more institutionalized approach. The IT Rules 2021 exemplify this, mandating a three-tier regulatory framework that pressures platforms into self-censorship to avoid infringements. This framework intimidates content creators into aligning with the state’s ideological narratives under thinly veiled pretexts of national security and cultural preservation, fundamentally curtailing artistic freedom.
The government employs strategies that blend promotional initiatives like “Digital India” with strict content control, aligning with wider global trends of regulatory influence over digital media seen in countries like China and Russia. In stark contrast to regions like the EU, where regulations foster cultural diversity, India’s approach restricts alternative perspectives and stifles dissent.
This regulatory environment sharpens the struggle over narrative control, merging political agendas with cultural output. The result, critics argue, is a restrictive creative ecosystem where dissenting voices are muted. As India aims for global digital leadership, the question remains whether creative expression can thrive under a governance model prioritizing control over freedom.
Original Story https://nenews.in/opinion/how-indias-media-control-stifles-freedom-in-the-digital-age/15246/
Category : Opinion,Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,Netflix
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Publish Date: 2024-10-28 16:07:00
