An organization of Catholic journalists in India vowed to be “prophetic communicators” during its national convention in Chennai this week.
“We cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the unsavory developments in the social, economic, political, technological and religious spheres,” read a statement released by the Indian Catholic Press Association during its 27th annual convention from December 8-11.
The convention bemoaned the current trend of throttling dissent and free speech, stifling independent media outfits, toxic post-truth culture, planted news, proliferation of fake news, hate speech and poisonous rhetoric on social media.
The assembly of journalists, editors, and media workers also noted that with corporate giants swallowing media houses and cosying up with fundamentalists and ultra-nationalists, authoritarianism is getting a free leash.
Central agencies become tools of the state to silence free speech and intimidate journalists and activists, creating “a fertile climate for slow aggression on federalism, language, and civil rights,” added the statement.
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