LATEST NEWS: KEY DEVELOPMENTS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Articles
Study: Dainik Jagran’s Coverage of NRC-CAA Protests, Delhi Violence Biased
Study: Dainik Jagran’s Coverage of NRC-CAA Protests, Delhi Violence Biased

Hindi-language daily Dainik Jagran’s coverage of the 2020-2021 protests against the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship Amendment Act (NRC-CAA), as well as the communal violence in Delhi, was “biased,” according to a study featured in the recently published book, “Inclusiveness in Indian Media Coverage.” The reportage predominantly supported the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) stance, depicting protestors negatively and associating them with violence while allocating minimal space for their perspectives, it suggests.

Latest Videos

Videos
Does Mumbai’s Middle Class Lack Empathy for Migrant Women?
Poornima’s Triumph over Bonded Labour: A Story of Resilience
Dinner With a Tribal Woman: ‘My Sons Weren’t Maoists’

News Briefings

Articles
Study: Dainik Jagran’s Coverage of NRC-CAA Protests, Delhi Violence Biased

Hindi-language daily Dainik Jagran’s coverage of the 2020-2021 protests against the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship Amendment Act (NRC-CAA), as well as the communal violence in Delhi, was “biased,” according to a study featured in the recently published book, “Inclusiveness in Indian Media Coverage.” The reportage predominantly supported the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) stance, depicting protestors negatively and associating them with violence while allocating minimal space for their perspectives, it suggests.

What’s in the World Economic Forum 2025 for India?

The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2025 meeting in Davos, Switzerland, which starts on Jan. 20, is attended by several Indian officials, including Union and state ministers and three chief ministers. However, its coverage within India primarily focuses on the country’s economic interests, overshadowing the theme of this year’s meeting. This theme – Collaboration for the Intelligent Age – is crucial for both India and Asia at large, as well as for the people living on this continent.

Study: Mainstream Media’s Coverage of Manipur Violence Biased, Superficial

A study featured in the recently published book, “Inclusiveness in Indian Media Coverage,” examined Hindustan Times’ reporting on the Manipur violence in 2023 and found glaring lapses in its coverage. Considering that the Times is regarded as one of the better mainstream newspapers, the study could be alluding to widespread issues in the journalism practiced by traditional Indian media.

40 Police Complaints Over Sex Abuse in Malayalam Film Industry

The Kerala government has informed the state’s High Court that 40 police complaints have been filed concerning sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industry since the Hema Committee report was published about five months ago. Officials said they have initiated formal investigations into each complaint.

ED Cleared to Prosecute Arvind Kejriwal Ahead of Delhi Election

Weeks before the assembly elections in Delhi, the Union Home Ministry has reportedly granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) permission to prosecute former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over alleged irregularities in his administration’s excise policy. Is the timing of this move merely coincidental? Kejriwal, who is currently on bail, was previously arrested in the lead-up to the 2024 general election.

Latest

Commentaries

Articles
RSS Takes 8,000 ‘Vulnerable’ Dalit Students to Maha Kumbh
RSS Takes 8,000 ‘Vulnerable’ Dalit Students to Maha Kumbh

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is reportedly hosting around 8,000 students, who are underage, from Dalit and disadvantaged communities at the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The aim is to familiarise them with Hindu traditions and Indian culture, preventing them from becoming vulnerable to religious conversions. However, this move undermines the autonomy and sovereignty of the Dalit community and contravenes the Indian Constitution.

Manipur: Displaced Face Skyrocketing Cancer, Kidney Failure Deaths
Manipur: Displaced Face Skyrocketing Cancer, Kidney Failure Deaths

More than 20 months after ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023, over 31,900 displaced Kuki-Zo individuals remain in relief camps in two districts of the state. Newsreel Asia has learned that in one of the districts alone, at least 90 deaths from humanitarian causes have occurred, with cancer and kidney failure death rates far surpassing national or regional averages amid a lack of government intervention.

Featured

Video Features

Videos
Power Crisis Deepens in Jammu & Kashmir Amid Winter
Power Crisis Deepens in Jammu & Kashmir Amid Winter

In the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, households commonly face frequent power outages and struggle with unaffordable electricity tariffs. This, despite the region's immense potential for hydroelectric power generation. Asad Ullah Mir describes the developmental injustices his community endures due to the extraction of hydroelectric power. Meanwhile, Abdul Hamid, a 50-year-old resident of Dal Gate in Srinagar, discusses the tough choices low-income families must make between electricity and basic necessities. This raises a pressing question: Why must the people of this region endure cold, dark winters?

Sections

Videos
Dinner With a Tribal Woman: ‘My Sons Weren’t Maoists’
Dinner With a Tribal Woman: ‘My Sons Weren’t Maoists’

An elderly woman, Shanti Devi, who lost two of her sons in a shootout by security personnel, resides alone in a Maoist-affected region of Chhattisgarh. This episode of The Dinner Table explores her story.

Videos
Jharkhand’s State Capitalism: Displacements by Mining
Jharkhand’s State Capitalism: Displacements by Mining

Madhusudan Mahto, a 60-year-old resident of Dhanbad district in Jharkhand state, is one of many paying the price for successive state governments' careless embrace of state capitalism. Coal mining has been ongoing in Jharkhand since 1901. Today, around 6,486 hectares of land in the state affected by the mining activity, while about 75% of the state’s population remains economically dependent on agriculture. Although mining is a lucrative source of revenue for the state and is prioritised over vital sectors like agriculture, it compromises the well-being of millions of residents who are not employed in the mining sector. And this is apart from significant environmental and health costs associated with the extraction of natural resources.

Videos
Does Mumbai’s Middle Class Lack Empathy for Migrant Women?
Does Mumbai’s Middle Class Lack Empathy for Migrant Women?

Srimati, a Dalit migrant woman, lives on the streets of Mumbai with her son Shiv Sagar and her daughter after city authorities demolished her home in Jai Bhim Nagar. While she was worried about men leering at her daughter, she learned of a “Reclaim the Night” protest organised by women from a nearby housing society. That protest was in response to the August 2024, rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor in a hospital in Kolkata. Hoping to voice her own family’s safety concerns, she went with other displaced women from her hamlet. But what she experienced at the protest, left Srimati feeling that the middle class extends empathy perhaps only to its own.

MAPPING INDIA

A banner with Mapping India and description written: Feel the Lives of People in Every State and Union Territory
Videos
Dinner With a Tribal Woman: ‘My Sons Weren’t Maoists’
Dinner With a Tribal Woman: ‘My Sons Weren’t Maoists’

An elderly woman, Shanti Devi, who lost two of her sons in a shootout by security personnel, resides alone in a Maoist-affected region of Chhattisgarh. This episode of The Dinner Table explores her story.

Newsreel Asia Specials

DOCUSERIES

Videos
Poornima’s Triumph over Bonded Labour: A Story of Resilience
Poornima’s Triumph over Bonded Labour: A Story of Resilience

Poornima was liberated from bonded labour in 2014, but she immediately faced the formidable challenge of rebuilding her life. She needed to secure employment, find accommodation and obtain essential documents. With determination, she returned to her village to acquire the skills necessary for self-sufficiency. Demonstrating both courage and perseverance, Poornima and her husband set up a small tailoring business. This initiative not only sustained their family but also provided employment opportunities for other freed bonded laborers in their community. By converting her adversities into a platform for financial independence and empowerment, Poornima has exemplified how resilience can drive transformative change, offering a future filled with dignity and hope for herself and others.

Videos
WHAT MAKES A ‘HOME’ | Demolition Drives in Delhi
WHAT MAKES A ‘HOME’ | Demolition Drives in Delhi

The video delves into the lives of Delhi's slum dwellers, whose homes perpetually face the threat of demolition. In a recent case, on May 19, 2023, residents of Priyanka Gandhi Camp in Vasant Vihar, Delhi, received official notices from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to vacate the land by June 15, 2023. Despite legal battles fought by the PG camp residents, their ‘Jhuggis’ (slums) were ultimately demolished. Between April 1 and July 27, 2023, Delhi witnessed 49 demolition drives. In 2023, at least 1600 homes have been destroyed and about 2,50,000 are homeless in India’s Capital. This story is about the plight of those who become homeless overnight.

Videos
Unequal Earnings in Salt Farming
Unequal Earnings in Salt Farming

Gujarat stands as India’s foremost salt-producing state, contributing 85% to the nation's total salt output. Within Gujarat, 31% of this production originates from the Agariya community living within the Little Rann of Kutch. Despite being the primary contributors to the salt industry, the Agariya people find themselves receiving the smallest share of profits. Furthermore, they grapple with the adverse effects of climate change, directly impacting their livelihoods. In this narrative, Bhopa and Gunand, two Agariya salt farmers, shed light on the disparity in earnings within the salt farming sector.

Videos
UNEQUAL LIVES | Everyday Struggles of Dalits in Gujarat
UNEQUAL LIVES | Everyday Struggles of Dalits in Gujarat

Bhupat Bhai Sekhaliya, a diligent and hardworking rickshaw driver from Gujarat, belongs to the Dalit community. Despite his unwavering dedication, the respect he deserves eludes him, particularly from individuals of "upper" castes in his vicinity. Many daily activities, deemed "normal" for any resident, remain inaccessible to him. Defiance can lead to physical assault. However, Bhupat's story is not an isolated incident. In Gujarat, the spectre of violence against Dalits looms large, with an average of four cases reported daily. The past seven years have seen a staggering total of over 9,000 documented instances of such violence.

Videos
BREATHLESS IN DELHI | The Human Cost of Air Pollution
BREATHLESS IN DELHI | The Human Cost of Air Pollution

If you are living in Delhi, you might lose 12 years of your life because of air pollution. Jyoti Lavakare Pande, an author and a journalist from Delhi, writes an open letter to highlight the intensity of pollution in Delhi. She reflects on her mother's vibrant and resilient life, filled with smiles and melodies. Her mother, Kamale Pande, a classical vocalist, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, struggling for every breath in Delhi's pollution. She pens down her mother’s journey to raise awareness about the invisible killer looming in Delhi’s air.

Videos
‘Revisiting Childhood,’ with Screenwriter, Lyricist and Filmmaker Shashwat Dwivedi
‘Revisiting Childhood,’ with Screenwriter, Lyricist and Filmmaker Shashwat Dwivedi

This video is from the third episode of our online event series, “Newsreel Asia Conversations,” which gives you a chance to interact with filmmakers who explore social, economic and political themes in their works. It all came together from our team's interactions with these creative minds at the 2024 Dharamshala International Film Festival. In this episode, we featured screenwriter, lyricist and filmmaker Shashwat Dwivedi, and our conversation centred on “Revisiting Childhood,” based on his latest film “Bobby Beauty Parlour.”

‘Why Education Comes with a High Cost for Girls,’ with Filmmaker Tarun Jain
‘Why Education Comes with a High Cost for Girls,’ with Filmmaker Tarun Jain

This video is from the second episode of our online event series, “Newsreel Asia Conversations,” which gives you a chance to interact with filmmakers who explore social, economic and political themes in their works. In this episode, we featured filmmaker and director Tarun Jain, and our conversation centred on “Why Education Comes with a High Cost for Girls,” based on his film “Ballad of the Mountain.”

Conversations

EVENTS