New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India on Sunday described recent run ins between Indian officials and European journalists as “embarrassing” and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not holding a single open press conference during more than a decade in power.
The Guild’s remarks followed stand offs after Modi declined to take questions from reporters during visits to the Netherlands and Norway. “Norway and the Netherlands are number 1 and 2 in the World Press Freedom Index, respectively. India, on the other hand, despite the manifest cultural differences with the Western world as pointed out by an angry Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, in response to the Norwegian journalist’s question, is at an abysmal 157 out of 180 countries,” the statement said.
While the Guild acknowledged occasional gaps in Western reporters’ knowledge about India, it said journalists were right to press questions in a democracy. The comment referred to a press briefing organised by India after the controversy, where MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George attributed the questions to journalists’ “personal ignorance and lack of understanding.”
“It is a regrettable fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not addressed a single open press conference during his more than a decade in power,” the Guild added, warning that increasing intolerance by the Union and several state governments towards media scrutiny harms both the economy and society.
The Editors Guild urged the government to stop treating the media as an adversary and to allow journalists to hold those in power accountable.