9 ms·

Doesn’t seem so crazy that they don’t want some foreign media mogul to influence their country.

by bzb6 6y ago

jacquesm 6y ago
Ever heard of Rupert Murdoch?
- kmlx 6y ago
  the perennial boogeyman.
  - oblio 6y ago
    If you think that Murdoch is the boogeyman what does that make Soros? :-)
ashleshbiradar 6y ago
a big chunk of the mainstream traditional media in India is pro-establishment and pro-government. Digital news organizations were predominantly anti-establishment, thus the efforts by the government to toe the organizations to its line. First it introduced the FDI regulations for foreign media as mentioned in the article. Second they have recently proposed to bring Digital news organizations and streaming platforms under regulation of the central government https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/11/india-to-regulate-netflix-and-amazon-streaming-content https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/11/india-to-regul... They brought FCRA for NGOs and civil societies which is considered a death kneel for civil societies in India. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/fcra-bill-virtually-makes-it-impossible-for-ngos-to-function/article32664359.ece https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/fcra-bill-virtually-m... and have been harassing Amnesty International India for years now, which recently concluded to AII shutting down India operations https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/29/amnesty-to-halt-work-in-india-due-to-government-witch-hunt https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/29/amnesty-to-hal...
- threw234342543 6y ago
  So Indian govt. bad, foreign unaccountable govt./orgs good ? Gee... I wonder why India was colonized for close to a millennia.
- AntiImperialist 6y ago
  a big chunk of the mainstream traditional media in India is pro-establishment and pro-government And? Why would you not be pro your own government? Should the media be against the government that people elect and which protects people's rights? Should the media be pro foreign governments and agencies?
  - ponker 6y ago
    Ask nicely and Modi might give you a courtesy tap.
  - bobthepanda 6y ago
    A good level of skepticism is a healthy check on corruption. People (for now) in the minority opposition should have some voice, it'd be odd if there weren't opposition outlets to say anything contrary. The powers that be protects people's rights, until they don't, and you don't want to be the proverbial frog in the pot coming to a boil.
    - AntiImperialist 6y ago
      I agree. However, I don't think we have a choice. At this point, the only two choices seem to be either to be governed by a tyrannical government fueled by national interests or a tyrannical government controlled by foreign interests. I believe in decentralization of power, a structure where the governed are closer to those who govern them. I think this leads to people in power having more skin in the game.
      - newswasboring 6y ago
        We are a parliamentary democracy, we already have decentralization. We willingly let go because of the false dichotomy you present.
pfortuny 6y ago
Freedom of the press is (should be) independent if the owner.
- AntiImperialist 6y ago
  Fundamentalism or extreme devotion to ideology is not a strength, it's a weakness... and that applies to "free speech" or "freedom of press" just as much to anything else. If you keep defending the freedom of those whose goal is to take away your freedom, your freedom won't last. This idea is not new (look up "paradox of tolerance").
jhowell 6y ago
I believe Rupert Murdoch, who is Australian became a US citizen to take ownership of US television stations. He seems to have a significant influence here (as well as Europe and Asia). So crazy enough for established procedures.
throw93 6y ago
It is crazy because in India political parties can indirectly accept foreign funding through a recent change in constitution by ruling party. Foreign funding of political parties is equally if not more dangerous than foreign funding of news media.
- blueblisters 6y ago
  Also these donations are anonymous (to the public) so it's even more egregious that the opposition leaders have not managed to make this into a larger issue (maybe it benefits all parties?).
  - fakedang 6y ago
    Incorrect. The opposition in India has been largely castrated, mocked and vilified by media sources in most of the country, especially non-English media. For the record, I read somewhere that the current Indian ruling party is the wealthiest ruling party in the world with an AUM of $3B (this is an outdated number btw). Meanwhile the opposition has barely enough money to fund the construction of its own headquarters.
ponker 6y ago
Well yes, they can easily suppress anti-government writing from Indian residents with credible threats of violence. This law is to protect the government from critics abroad where the Indian government cannot reach.

Doesn’t seem so crazy that they don’t want some foreign media mogul to influence their country.

by bzb6 6y ago

Doesn’t seem so crazy that they don’t want some foreign media mogul to influence their country.

jacquesm 6y ago

Ever heard of Rupert Murdoch?

kmlx 6y ago
the perennial boogeyman.
- oblio 6y ago
  If you think that Murdoch is the boogeyman what does that make Soros? :-)

ashleshbiradar 6y ago

a big chunk of the mainstream traditional media in India is pro-establishment and pro-government. Digital news organizations were predominantly anti-establishment, thus the efforts by the government to toe the organizations to its line. First it introduced the FDI regulations for foreign media as mentioned in the article. Second they have recently proposed to bring Digital news organizations and streaming platforms under regulation of the central government https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/11/india-to-regulate-netflix-and-amazon-streaming-content https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/11/india-to-regul... They brought FCRA for NGOs and civil societies which is considered a death kneel for civil societies in India. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/fcra-bill-virtually-makes-it-impossible-for-ngos-to-function/article32664359.ece https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/fcra-bill-virtually-m... and have been harassing Amnesty International India for years now, which recently concluded to AII shutting down India operations https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/29/amnesty-to-halt-work-in-india-due-to-government-witch-hunt https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/29/amnesty-to-hal...

threw234342543 6y ago
So Indian govt. bad, foreign unaccountable govt./orgs good ? Gee... I wonder why India was colonized for close to a millennia.
AntiImperialist 6y ago
a big chunk of the mainstream traditional media in India is pro-establishment and pro-government And? Why would you not be pro your own government? Should the media be against the government that people elect and which protects people's rights? Should the media be pro foreign governments and agencies?
- ponker 6y ago
  Ask nicely and Modi might give you a courtesy tap.
- bobthepanda 6y ago
  A good level of skepticism is a healthy check on corruption. People (for now) in the minority opposition should have some voice, it'd be odd if there weren't opposition outlets to say anything contrary. The powers that be protects people's rights, until they don't, and you don't want to be the proverbial frog in the pot coming to a boil.
  - AntiImperialist 6y ago
    I agree. However, I don't think we have a choice. At this point, the only two choices seem to be either to be governed by a tyrannical government fueled by national interests or a tyrannical government controlled by foreign interests. I believe in decentralization of power, a structure where the governed are closer to those who govern them. I think this leads to people in power having more skin in the game.
    - newswasboring 6y ago
      We are a parliamentary democracy, we already have decentralization. We willingly let go because of the false dichotomy you present.

pfortuny 6y ago

Freedom of the press is (should be) independent if the owner.

AntiImperialist 6y ago
Fundamentalism or extreme devotion to ideology is not a strength, it's a weakness... and that applies to "free speech" or "freedom of press" just as much to anything else. If you keep defending the freedom of those whose goal is to take away your freedom, your freedom won't last. This idea is not new (look up "paradox of tolerance").

jhowell 6y ago

I believe Rupert Murdoch, who is Australian became a US citizen to take ownership of US television stations. He seems to have a significant influence here (as well as Europe and Asia). So crazy enough for established procedures.

throw93 6y ago

It is crazy because in India political parties can indirectly accept foreign funding through a recent change in constitution by ruling party. Foreign funding of political parties is equally if not more dangerous than foreign funding of news media.

blueblisters 6y ago
Also these donations are anonymous (to the public) so it's even more egregious that the opposition leaders have not managed to make this into a larger issue (maybe it benefits all parties?).
- fakedang 6y ago
  Incorrect. The opposition in India has been largely castrated, mocked and vilified by media sources in most of the country, especially non-English media. For the record, I read somewhere that the current Indian ruling party is the wealthiest ruling party in the world with an AUM of $3B (this is an outdated number btw). Meanwhile the opposition has barely enough money to fund the construction of its own headquarters.

ponker 6y ago

Well yes, they can easily suppress anti-government writing from Indian residents with credible threats of violence. This law is to protect the government from critics abroad where the Indian government cannot reach.