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Protecting Journalists in the Digital Age: UNESCO’s Bengaluru Workshop Sets New Safety Agenda


K. Yadagiri Rao

Bengaluru, Nov. 19: In India, journalists face serious physical, legal, and digital risks, with 2 to 3 reporters killed each year and many more threatened, assaulted, or criminally charged under laws like the UAPA. Local and freelance journalists, especially those in rural or conflict-affected regions such as Bastar or Kashmir are particularly vulnerable, and cases like the 2025 death of reporter Mukesh Chandrakar highlight the dangers.

Journalists critical of powerful actors encounter online harassment, mob attacks, raids, and legal intimidation, and are sometimes branded “anti-national.” Impunity remains widespread, with many attacks or murders unresolved, contributing to India’s low 2025 World Press Freedom Index ranking of 151/180. Structural pressures including political influence, legal weaponisation, and concentrated media ownership, further undermine press freedom, leaving protections uneven despite constitutional guarantees.

These challenges mirror global trends: UNESCO and RSF report that dozens of journalists are killed worldwide each year and over 70% of such crimes go unpunished, making journalism increasingly risky even as many continue reporting with caution.

In view of the above, UNESCO, in coordination with the Indian Journalists Union and the Karnataka Union of Working Journalists, organised a three-day workshop in commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists on the themes of Safety, Legal Empowerment, and Gender-Responsive Protection of Journalists in India, held from November 11 to 13, 2025, in Bengaluru.

At the inaugural programme, Mr. Srinivas R. Joshi, Special Secretary, Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation, Government of Karnataka; Mrs. Ma’aly Hazzaz, Chief Regional Advisor for Communication and Information, UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia; Mr. Geetartha Pathak, President, Indian Journalists Union; Mr. Shivananda Tagadoor, President, Karnataka Union of Working Journalists; and Ms. Aida Martirous-Nejad, Team Leader/Human Rights Officer, Asia-Pacific Section, OHCHR, spoke about the aims and objectives of the workshop and reaffirmed the commitment to ending impunity and protecting media freedom. A screening of Press UNMUTE was held, and a Moment of Silence was observed to honour journalists who lost their lives in the past year for their reporting.

The three-day sessions were conducted by subject experts on a range of topics: Understanding India’s Media Law Landscape, Case Studies in Media Freedom & Legal Defense, and Protection of Journalists in Sting Operations from Criminal Prosecution and SLAPPs by Mr. Mahesh V. Vaidya, Legal Advisor to CID, Karnataka; Journalist Safety and Accountability: Challenges and Experiences from the Field by Ms. Sabina Inderjit, Secretary General, Indian Journalists Union; and Practical Guidance & Legal Aid by Mr. Apar Gupta, Advocate and Founder, Internet Freedom Foundation.

Additional sessions included Reporting in High-Risk Environments: Safety, Security & Preparedness by Mr. Pankaj Pachauri, Independent Journalist; Digital Safety & Online Resilience (in the Context of India’s Regulatory Environment) by Ms. Surabhi Malik, Newsroom Partnerships, Google India; and Countering Disinformation & Surveillance and a hands-on digital security lab led by Ms. Urvashi Kapoor, Senior Editor, Jagran News.

Further modules focused on Gender-Sensitive Resilience Training by Ms. Nandini Chandrashekhar, Associate Editor, The News Minute; Institutional Protocols, Peer Networks & Rights Advocacy by Ms. Sarada Lahangir, Senior Journalist, Odisha; Global Implementation of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity by Mr. John Bosco Mayiga, Programme Specialist, UNESCO Paris; and UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against Women Journalists by Mr. Emad Karim, Advocacy, Campaigns & Innovation Lead, UN Women India, along with Ms. Sudeshna Mukherjee, Head of Communication; Dr. Poulomi Pal, Programme Specialist – EVAW, UN Women India; and Ms. Aida Sahraoui Soler, Consultant, UNESCO Paris.


In the presence of Mrs. Ma’aly Hazzaz, Chief Regional Advisor for Communication and Information, UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia; Mr. Geetartha Pathak, President, Indian Journalists Union; and Ms. Sabina Inderjit, Secretary General, Indian Journalists Union, Mr. K. Yadagiri Rao received his certificate of participation from Shri Shivananda Tagadoor, President, Karnataka Union of Working Journalists.

A total of 35 journalists from across India participated in these intensive sessions, and many described the workshop as highly valuable, noting that they had learned important new aspects of media law, investigative journalism, digital safety, and fact-checking. Under the theme UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against Women Journalists, a special session on AI-facilitated gender-based violence (Chat GBV), led by UNESCO HQ and UN Women India, highlighted emerging digital risks and the need for stronger protection mechanisms.

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