Media freedom in India is under threat, again

FOR YEARS, whenever observers lamented the decline of press freedom in India, especially in its broadcast media, the country’s defenders could point to a welcome exception. New Delhi Television Ltd (ndtv), a news channel with national reach, has long been a stalwart voice of independent journalism. Should viewers need to hear facts and opinions reported other than those sanctioned by the national government, at least one channel would willingly air them.

So the news, in late August, that a billionaire industrialist, Gautam Adani, has launched a bid to take over ndtv has set off alarm bells among India’s media-watchers. That Mr Adani is reported to be the richest man in Asia is one concern, but it is not the main one. Rather, it is his close ties to the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, that cause disquiet.