'The Wire' wins International Press Institute's '2021 Free Media Pioneer Award'
New Delhi: The International Press Institute (IPI) on Wednesday announced Indian independent media outlet The Wire as the winner of the 2021 Free Media Pioneer Award. The institute described The Wire as “a leader in India’s digital news revolution and an unflinching defender of independent, high-quality journalism”.
“We are extremely proud to recognize The Wire as this year’s IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer. The Wire is a leading force in India’s digital news transformation and its commitment to quality, independent journalism is an inspiration to IPI members around the world. We congratulate all of The Wire’s staff for their tremendous work in the service of critical reporting and press freedom, and stand with them in the face of increasing political pressure,” IPI’s executive director Barbara Trionfi said.
In a tweet from the official handle of IPI, the institute asserted “Founded as a digital news venture in 2015, The Wire built its success on reader support and independent, watchdog reporting. Today, The Wire's journalists continue their work amid growing political pressure on media in India. The IPI network stands with them”.
The award will be presented on September 16 in Vienna, Austria, as part of IPI’s annual World Congress. The IPI is a global network of media executives, editors, and journalists, which aims to defend the free press globally. The annual Free Media Pioneer Award was established 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”.
In the announcement about The Wire’s win, IPI talked about the threat and intimidation editors and journalists at The Wire have faced – including criminal cases, surveillance, and more:
“Amid India’s press freedom downslide, The Wire’s commitment to public-interest news has also made it a growing target of government harassment. This year alone, three cases have been filed against the outlet and its reporters, including for their coverage of India’s farmers’ protests. In 2020, The Wire and Varadarajan were charged with “spreading panic” for reporting on violations of COVID-19 rules by religious leaders. The site previously faced 14 defamation cases by figures close to the ruling party requesting $1.3 billion in damages.
The pressure on The Wire and its journalists took an even darker turn this summer with the Pegasus Project revelations. 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 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 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’s publisher, the Foundation for Independent Journalism, has sued to stop the rules, which, it says, represent an unconstitutional attempt by the state to tell the media what can and can’t be published.”
The Wire‘s founding editor Siddharth Varadarajan said about the award, “The Wire is thrilled to receive the IPI/IMS Free Media Pioneer Award. We have strived to deliver on our mission of providing high-quality journalism to the people of India, free from the political and corporate pressures that beset most of the media in the country. We’ve paid a price for our independence, of course – defamation cases and now criminal charges for doing journalism, and of course difficulties in raising finances. But there is nothing like recognition from our peers in India and around the world to make this journey totally worth it.”
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Karnataka cabinet approves formation of separate Dharwad Municipal Corporation
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Cabinet has approved a formation of separate Dharwad city corporation. Alongside, a 15% hike in fares across the four state transport corporations was also approved. The revised fares will come into effect on January 5.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil, addressing the media at the Committee Hall of Vidhana Soudha, provided details about the decision. He explained that the last fare revision for BMTC was a decade ago when diesel cost Rs 60.98 per litre. Since then, operational costs have risen significantly.
Diesel expenditure for the four corporations has increased from Rs 9.16 crore to Rs 13.21 crore, and personnel costs have grown from Rs 12.85 crore to Rs 18.36 crore. The daily operational burden now stands at Rs 9.56 crore. The fare hike is expected to generate an additional Rs 74.85 crore in monthly revenue without burdening the state exchequer, as Rs 5,015 crore has already been allocated for the Shakti Yojana this fiscal year.
Minister Patil announced that the Cabinet has decided to bifurcate the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation into two independent municipal bodies.
The Cabinet approved the construction of a fishing port in Hejamady village, Udupi, with a revised estimate of Rs 209.13 crore. Additionally, Rs 84.57 crore has been sanctioned for the modernization and dredging of fishing ports.
In a move to strengthen cow shelters, Rs 10.50 crore has been allocated for projects in 14 districts. The Cabinet also approved constructing a building for Visvesvaraya Technical University in Chikkaballapur district at Rs 149.75 crore.
The Cabinet sanctioned a state-of-the-art bus stand in Bannimantap, Mysuru, at a cost of Rs 120 crore. Spread over 14 acres, the facility will include a divisional office, bus units, and commercial shops.
Approval was also granted to utilize Rs 137.85 crore, provided by the Union Finance Ministry under the Special Capital Assistance Scheme, for capital expenditure.
The Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board will use Rs 56.92 crore from its SCP/TSP scheme to supply bed sheets, mosquito nets, and clothing to government residential schools and hostels.
The Cabinet approved Rs 100 crore to construct new buildings for 200 veterinary institutions currently housed in rented or dilapidated structures, using NABARD assistance.
In Davangere, a site was allotted to the Karnataka Working Journalists' Association for constructing a civic facility. A plot in Avaragere village was also leased for 30 years at a concessional rate to Nayaka Vidyarthi Nilaya.
