Prédateur

Narendra MODI

Premier ministre de l’Inde depuis le 26 mai 2014

Prédateur depuis son arrivée au pouvoir

Inde, 142e/180 au Classement mondial de la liberté de la presse 2021

Dear [Name of Candidate],

I am writing to ask you what you plan to do to defend the First Amendment, freedom of the press, and the fundamental rights of journalists to practice their profession freely in what has become an increasingly hostile environment for information and news providers.

The United States, which enshrines press freedom in the First Amendment of its Constitution, is currently witnessing a drastic decline in media freedom. On June 28, one of the most horrific attacks on press freedom in the United States occurred when five employees, including four reporters, were killed at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, which comprehensively documents press freedom violations in the US committed by national, state, and local authorities as well as private individuals, 33 journalists were arrested, 43 were physically attacked, and 15 seizures of journalists’ equipment occurred in 2017. In one of these incidents, Rep. Greg Gianforte physically assaulted a Guardian journalist the night before his state’s election. While covering the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, journalists were impersonated on social media, impeding their ability to accurately investigate the facts and disseminate information which could be vital to preventing a similar tragedy. This hostility towards the press not only risks compromising the American public’s right to be informed through journalists’ reporting, but can also degrade the public’s trust in the media itself.

This is not a partisan issue; it is a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics. Journalism is at the crux of our democracy, and communities everywhere rely on journalists to provide them with information that is essential to their daily decision-making processes. It was local investigative journalist Curt Guyette who broke the story about Flint, Michigan’s lack of access to clean water in 2014, prompting years of class-action lawsuits, protests, and subsequent federal assistance to the city in order to try to resolve the crisis. Reporters Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, and Ronan Farrow publicized sexual assault allegations against influential Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017, leading to the ubiquitous and powerful #MeToo movement which brought decades of sexual abuse and harassment across multiple industries to light.

Yet freedom of the press in the US is currently in dire need of congressional support. It is our civic duty as one of the world’s leading democracies to uphold principles that support and protect the rights of journalists so that they may hold those in power accountable and ensure an informed and engaged community.

If you are elected, what do you plan to do to protect this utterly essential component of our democracy? What are your plans to protect the public’s right to be informed through a free and independent press?

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Hello, my name is _______ and I am from [city, state].

I’m calling to let you know that [candidate/representative]'s stance on freedom of the press is extremely important in my decision to vote. I feel that this is not a partisan issue, but a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics.

I have become increasingly concerned with the growing climate of hostility for journalists in this country, and I would like for [candidate/representative] to publicly address what they will do to defend press freedom if [he/she] is elected.

Thank you.

Freedom of the press is suffering in the US. @[yourcandidate] if you are elected to serve in Congress, what are your plans to protect journalists and our right to be informed? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

Democracy depends on a free and independent press and its ability to hold those in power accountable. [@yourcandidate] will you take measures to protect journalism and the First Amendment? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

In June, four reporters were murdered in an appalling targeted attack on the Capital Gazette and freedom of the press. [@yourcandidate] what will you do to address the growing threat to journalists in this country? #DefendPressFreedom

Press freedom is in steady decline in the US. I want my representative to defend the work of journalists as well as my right to be informed. [@yourcandidate] if you are elected what will you do to protect a free press? #DefendPressFreedom

Journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. And yet in the US, attacks on journalists are becoming more common, undermining the media's role and creating opportunities for government overreach, the erosion of press freedom, and impeding our right to be informed. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join me at DefendPressFreedom.com

A free press is essential to our democracy. Communities everywhere rely on journalists to report on our government’s actions and hold public figures accountable, providing us with the information we need to make decisions every day. And yet physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists in the US are increasing at an astonishing rate. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. You should too. Read more at DefendPressFreedom.com

Press freedom is declining in the US at an alarming rate. Physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists have increased drastically in the last two years. As the US midterm elections approach, we must remind our congressional candidates that journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. I’m contacting my representatives and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join in and help me spread the word at DefendPressFreedom.com

MODE DE PRÉDATION : national-populisme et désinformation

À la tête du Gujarat à partir de 2001, Narendra Modi se sert de cet État d’Inde de l’ouest comme d’un laboratoire de son système de contrôle de l’information, qu’il va pleinement déployer après son accession au poste de Premier ministre, en 2014. Sa première arme consiste à saturer les médias grand public de discours et d’informations susceptibles de légitimer son idéologie nationale-populiste. Pour mener à bien ce dessein, il a développé des liens privilégiés avec les grands industriels du pays qui dirigent de vastes empires médiatiques.

Particulièrement insidieuse, la manœuvre est double : d’une part, en se faisant l’obligé des magnats de la presse, Narendra Modi s'assure une couverture favorable - les journalistes des grands médias savent qu’il risquent d’être évincés s’ils critiquent le gouvernement ; d’autre part, la diffusion de ses discours extrêmement clivants et stigmatisants, qui relèvent souvent de la désinformation, permet aux médias commerciaux d’atteindre des records d’audience. Dans ce contexte, il ne reste plus, pour Narendra Modi, qu’à neutraliser les organes de presse et les journalistes qui refusent ce discours manichéen.

Il dispose pour cela d’un arsenal judiciaire dont certaines dispositions sont particulièrement liberticides pour la presse : les journalistes risquent par exemple la prison à vie s’ils sont visés par l’accusation, extrêmement vague, de sédition. Pour parfaire cet arsenal, Narendra Modi peut enfin compter sur une armée de “yodha” (“guerriers”, en hindi), des trolls qui lancent contre les journalistes qui leur déplaisent d’effroyables campagnes de haine sur internet et les réseaux sociaux, lesquelles campagnes se transforment presque systématiquement en appels au meurtre.

CIBLES FAVORITES : “Sickulars” et “presstituées”

La journaliste Gauri Lankesh, assassinée de quatre balles devant son domicile en septembre 2017, est la victime la plus emblématique de l’Hindutvha, l’idéologie matrice de la mouvance nationaliste hindou qu’exalte Narendra Modi au quotidien. Plus généralement, tous les journalistes et les médias qui remettent en question la doctrine nationale-populiste du Premier ministre sont rapidement traités de “sickulars” (mot valise entre “sick” - malade, fou - et “secular” - progressiste, laïc).

À ce titre, ils sont la cible des “bhakt”, les dévots du chef Modi, qui les poursuivent dans les tribunaux, les traînent dans la boue des médias grand public et coordonnent les attaques en ligne, autrement plus virulentes lorsqu’elles visent des femmes, traitées de “presstituées” : les journalistes Rana Ayyub ou Barkha Dutt, par exemple, ont ainsi vu leurs données personnelles jetées en pature à la vindicte populaire, accompagnées d’effroyables appels au viol collectif.

DISCOURS OFFICIEL : Les médias contre le journalisme

“Aujourd’hui, les journalistes ont tombé les masques. S’il y a une crise de crédibilité, ce n’est pas de la faute des médias, mais celle de ceux qui y travaillent. Alors arrêtez de vous en prendre à nous.” (12 mai 2019.)

Publié le 05.07.2021