The Journalism is Shrinking in India : Ravish Kumar

Every day this crisis comes to the fore, when I am telling someone on the phone in clear words that I cannot do it. On the other end, the troubled man is in the impulse to tell his story. He is doing absolutely right. Tired of everything, he is talking somehow and getting a NO in response is bound to be a shock. I too feel shocked by saying NO to that man or woman. 

Sometimes the builder has looted the life savings and sometimes there is something else. As soon as I started YouTube, I understood that a part of my work will also be to say no. I have to tell that we cannot make videos on all topics. You do not have the understanding to check all kinds of documents. Especially financial documents. This has been my biggest weakness. Even when I was in the channel, I used to say NO directly. If some other reporter or an expert reported on it, I would include it in my program. I do the same even today. 

I have some selected journalists who cover economic issues seriously, so I make videos based on their reports or analysis. This is also because I want to know something while doing this or the audience can also know something. But this does not mean that if you put a hundred page document in front of me, I will make a video. I refuse because I know the consequences. To understand it, sit and talk to someone for three hours. Listen to the problems of the person who is in trouble and in the end say NO, then where will you find so much time. It does not happen. But a guilt of saying NO is definitely deposited in your account.

There are people with different skills for this work in the newsroom. You have to contact every party. You have to go to the ground and see. It takes many days to do this. Without this basic work, a video cannot be made on the basis of documents given by someone. Making a video does not mean that you switch on the mic and speak. It should also reach the people and there should be preparation for this. Many people do it but they are also not able to do it properly. Something concrete should be presented. Even now the government does not take YouTube videos seriously. The impact of news is less.

It should also be kept in mind that YouTube is monitored only to see if anyone is criticizing the BJP government. Whether there is any political loss from it. Other governments have also started doing all this in varying degrees, but in this case, the BJP has deployed a huge administrative machinery. 

YouTube is in a way caught in a battle. On one hand there is the threat of FIR, on the other hand there is the threat of getting the channel shut down by sending a strike cleverly. It is not easy. Still, it is a great thing that people are speaking up, but one should not live in the illusion that this is mainstream journalism. Understand one difference. Independent journalism used to be a tributary of mainstream journalism. Through YouTube, independent journalism is being considered a substitute for mainstream journalism and seems to be giving it competition. 

But this is an illusion even though it is true. Some YouTubers are fulfilling a big deficiency of journalism but have not become an alternative to journalism. It does not seem possible to move in that direction. For this, you will have to create a news setup like channels and newspapers. If this is not possible, then you will have to accept that YouTube exists only to break the silence on many issues and to make the public aware. 

YouTubers do not yet have the mechanism to bring and give information. So if you have expectations from people like us, then you will have to keep getting disappointed. Just like we keep getting disappointed with ourselves. Most of our work is limited to making quick comments based on the available material. Sometimes it seems meaningful but sometimes it fills us with dissatisfaction. 

We live every day with these ups and downs. We have been left like the remnants of every journalism. We have been ousted from the mainstream media. It is a blessing that crores of viewers come to listen to us and people like us, but we have not yet become a big prospect. The viewers will also have to understand this. You will be disappointed with the reporting you expect when you call us.

In the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, India is ranked 151st out of 180 countries. Cartoon courtesy : Manjul.

Every time I reach the same conclusion that this profession does not exist in its original form. This is not a matter of frustration, this is a matter of recognizing and knowing the situation. The structure of journalism has changed in every era but even then reporting has been its central aspect. Reporting has stopped even in the mainstream. Everything is happening around one topic. That is why many times, rather every time it seems that the time has come to separate from journalism. 

We are going through a situation of economic sanctions. You have to keep this in mind. There is so much work that those who have done it know but what is true is true. First they were ostracized by political supporters and now they are facing economic sanctions. The truth is that if there was no YouTube today, many people would have been dependent on others for food. They could have opened an egg shop in their life but we cannot earn by doing journalism. This door has been closed for us. 

Many people immediately tell them to come into politics. I have no aversion to politics. I keep meeting politicians. They also have a huge store of public life. You should also take time and meet your MP regularly. This will also make MPs better, otherwise their behaviour changes due to being surrounded by workers all the time. I myself keep going. 

Indian media is gaining notoriety globally. #media #indianmedia #Pressfreedom pic.twitter.com/zS2utzyxzx

— VOiCE OF MEDIA (@voiceofmedia1) May 22, 2025

Government people have distanced themselves, BJP has stopped sending spokespersons to my programmes. Then what should I try? I keep meeting opposition MPs. Many MPs are well educated and being in various committees gives me a chance to understand the country through them. So never take any MP lightly. He may belong to any party. But I cannot imagine myself being in politics. If you want to go, I will definitely tell you to go. Let some people remain voters.

I will not feel like it. Politics is a profession of endless journeys which is also called service. It requires energy and commitment from within. Even today my mind wanders in the streets of stories and their video presentation. But slowly I have started accepting that I have been thrown out of the profession which I loved the most. If I did not love it, I would not type five thousand to seven thousand words every day. Just look at how much I have written. We are like that doctor who likes to go to the clinic but imagine that you are a doctor and if politics decides that you cannot open a hospital anywhere, cannot build a clinic, cannot get a job in a hospital, then will you be able to face this situation? We have been through the same situation.

I have written about this before. Will write again. Yesterday, I received calls from many people. They had expectations from me. Their problems were huge. I got tired of saying no to everyone. So I am writing here. It happens sometimes. Don't worry. I am again engaged in the same work that I have been doing. I will do it as long as I am allowed to do it, otherwise I have FIR and jail. There is no answer to my work. 

Have you ever seen anyone apologizing like Arnab Goswami. So many Godi channels keep apologizing. There is so much discussion about their lies. We also make mistakes, there are mistakes in name, year and figures but no one can say that I did it with the intention of spreading lies. I spent 11 years like this. That's it! (Senior journalist Ravish Kumar has written this article in Hindi on his Facebook page. We have presented its English translation for the readers.)