![]() The Wire has also been at the forefront of the battle against India’s new regulations for digital platforms, which grant the authorities increased powers to censor digital content. The Wire was part of the collaborative global investigation, coordinated by Forbidden Stories, that uncovered the extent of government surveillance of journalists and human rights defenders using Pegasus. The phones of Varadarajan and Venu were shown to have been infected with the Israeli-made spyware, presumably at the behest of the Indian government, while The Wire’s diplomatic editor was also on the leaked list of probable targets. The pressure on The Wire and its journalists took an even darker turn this summer with the Pegasus Project revelations. The site previously faced 14 defamation cases by figures close to the ruling party requesting $1.3 billion in damages. In 2020, The Wire and Varadarajan were charged with “spreading panic” for reporting on violations of COVID-19 rules by religious leaders. This year alone, three cases have been filed against the outlet and its reporters, including for their coverage of India’s farmers’ protests. Its YouTube channel, with 3.5 million subscribers and 24 million views a month, has one of the largest reaches of any newspaper or digital news site video platform.Īmid India’s press freedom downslide, The Wire’s commitment to public-interest news has also made it a growing target of government harassment. Published in English, Hindi, Urdu and Marathi, The Wire has emerged as a prominent voice in India’s otherwise crowded media landscape, combining fearless watchdog reporting with sensitive coverage of how the authorities’ policies and actions impact the day-to-day lives of Indians. This means relying principally on contributions from readers and concerned citizens who have no interest other than to sustain a space for quality journalism.” Six years later, that strategic decision has paid off: The Wire has shown that deeply reported accountability journalism that’s trusted by its audience can be translated into sustainable revenues.Īs the site’s founding editors explain, “The founding premise of The Wire is this: if good journalism is to survive and thrive, it can only do so by being both editorially and financially independent. It deliberately eschewed traditional corporate- and advertiser-driven funding in favour of a non-profit, audience-centred model dedicated to holding all forms of power to account. ![]() The Wire was founded in 2015 as an independent digital news venture by a trio of journalists – Siddharth Varadarajan, MK Venu and Sidharth Bhatia – with several decades of experience between them. This year’s Free Media Pioneer award will be presented together with IPI’s 2021 World Press Freedom Hero award during a special ceremony on September 16, 2021, in Vienna, Austria, as part of IPI’s annual World Congress.Ĭommitment to independence and watchdog journalism For the past six years, the award has been given in partnership with Copenhagen-based International Media Support (IMS). The annual Free Media Pioneer award was established by the International Press Institute (IPI) in 1996 to recognize media organizations that are innovating for better journalism and news access, or working to ensure freer and more independent media in their country or region. Non-profit news site The Wire, a leader in India’s digital news revolution and an unflinching defender of independent, high-quality journalism, is the recipient of the 2021 Free Media Pioneer Award. IJ4EU (Investigative Journalism for Europe).COVID-19: How IPI members face the challenge.Countering Online Harassment of Journalists.Europe: Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR).Helsingin Sanomat Foundation Journalism Fellowship at IPI.
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