OpIndia, Adani Group named in RSF’s 2026 Press Freedom Predators List

The Hindutva mouthpiece OpIndia and the Adani Group have been named in Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) 2026 Press Freedom Predators List, with the conglomerate accused of initiating legal action against critical journalists and media organisations, while the right-wing website has been singled out for promoting conspiracy theories and smear campaigns targeting independent journalists.

Published on Monday to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on 2 November, the list profiles 33 individuals, organisations and institutions accused of targeting journalists and media outlets during 2026.

The list, which complements RSF’s annual World Press Freedom Index, classifies press freedom predators under five categories – political, security, economic, legal and social – reflecting the different forms of pressure exerted on independent journalism.

The Adani Group, headed by Gautam Adani, India’s richest man and a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, features in the legal category, which identifies those accused of using judicial proceedings to intimidate journalists.

According to RSF, the conglomerate and its subsidiaries have initiated around ten legal actions against more than 15 critical journalists and media organisations since 2017.

RSF described the cases as part of a systematic use of gag suits, involving both civil and criminal defamation proceedings, to silence independent journalism.

OpIndia, meanwhile, appears under the social category for its alleged role in spreading conspiracy theories and orchestrating smear campaigns against independent journalists. Launched in 2014 and closely aligned with the Hindutva ideology, the website has repeatedly sought to discredit independent media by portraying them as part of an alleged liberal media cartel.

RSF said OpIndia mobilises online troll networks to amplify narratives that portray government critics as foreign agents, propagandists or members of a supposed ‘Soros ecosystem’ and ‘anti-India lobby’.

India ranks 157th among 180 countries in RSF’s 2026 World Press Freedom Index.

The list also includes US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev and the Israeli Armed Forces. Alphabet, which owns Google and YouTube, and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Threads, feature in the economic category over their dominance of the online information ecosystem and its impact on media revenues.