In a worrying move, the Indian tax authorities revoked the non-profit status of two independent media organisations: the journalist association The Reporters' Collective (TRC) and the news site The File. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns this offensive against the independent press and calls on the tax authorities to rescind these decisions.
The Indian government’s recent move to strip non-profits like The Reporters’ Collective and The File of their tax-exempt status—claiming journalism lacks “public purpose”—is peak bureaucratic theater. Imagine a state defining “public service” as whatever doesn’t threaten its narrative. This isn’t about fiscal responsibility—it’s about muting scrutiny under the guise of legal technicalities.
Democracy dies when accountability becomes optional. By weaponizing tax codes against independent voices, they’re not even pretending anymore. Watch how quickly “free press” gets rebranded as “economic terrorism” when inconvenient truths surface. Meanwhile, state-approved propaganda outlets thrive, funded by oligarchs and laundered through social media’s narcissistic echo chambers. The math checks out: silence dissent, amplify obedience. Welcome to the new public square—sterilized, sanitized, and subservient.