Police Raids NewsClick Journalists, Accused Of China Funding
Raids conducted on NewsClick. The news portal & its journalists are alleged to have received funding from a network pushing Chinese propaganda in India.
Several journalists in Delhi associated with the website NewsClick were raided by the Delhi Police. The police conducted the raids in connection with a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The case was registered after a New York Times investigation alleged that the news portal had received funding from a network promoting Chinese propaganda.
The police seized laptops and phones from the journalists’ homes, but no arrests have been made yet.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur stated that there was no need to justify the raids and that the search agencies were free to investigate if any wrongdoing had occurred.
The Enforcement Directorate had previously registered a case against NewsClick and investigated its funding. The case relates to alleged violations in foreign funding and its use.
The news portal’s offices were also searched by Income Tax officers in 2021 for alleged tax evasion. NewsClick’s editor, Prabir Purkayastha, has criticized the investigations as attempts to harm independent journalism. He has stated that the allegations will be responded to in court.
The country is really frustrated and angered with these foreign funding controversies. It’s one thing to criticize the government, but it’s another to potentially endanger national security by pushing foreign propaganda. Press freedom is crucial, but it should come with responsibility.
I remember during the farmer protests in Delhi, there were reports of several news publications spreading misinformation and using anti-national toolkits. That’s not okay! We can’t let journalism be used to divide and create chaos in our country.
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These allegations of receiving funds from foreign sources and not being transparent about it raise serious concerns.
It’s frustrating because it’s not about supporting or opposing the government; it’s about being responsible and not compromising our nation’s interests.
While we value press freedom, it shouldn’t be a shield for spreading hate or fake news. Let’s hope the courts can sort this out and ensure that journalism serves its true purpose.
The journalism is to inform and empower, not divide and disrupt. It’s a challenging situation, but we need responsible journalism now more than ever.
