Mumbai

80: Press Freedom and COVID in India

For this episode we catch up with Indian journalist, and previous guest, Meena Menon to discuss the current status of press freedom in India, and in particular how the subject relates to reporting on the COVID pandemic. According to RSF (Reporters Without Borders) 2021 Global Press Freedom Index, India holds a rank of 142nd.

Be sure to catch part one of this two-part discussion about the current COVID crisis in India, as well as our interview with Meena, in Episode 25, about reporting in India, and from Pakistan as an Indian correspondent.

For those looking to get involved or to donate, these links have been suggested by friends in India. As always, be sure to do your homework and your own vetting before donating to any organization.

And you can learn more about the status of lifting patent restrictions on COVID vaccines here. Be sure to read to the end. There appears to be hope, but the issue is far from decided.



INDIA DONATIONS - COVID

MUTUAL AID FUNDRAISERS - INDIA


 
 
 

79: India's COVID Crisis

This episode is the first of a two-part discussion about the current situation in India. Those following the world news headlines for the past few days will be aware that that Mumbai and its surrounding state of Maharashtra are at the epicenter of an epicenter of COVID cases, with India far and away leading the world, and with an infection rate that shows no signs of slowing down during its second wave.

According to a BBC report:


“In January and February, the national number of daily cases fell to under 20,000 from peaks of around 90,000 in September last year.”

However on Tuesday May 4th more than 357,000 cases were reported in the span of 24 hours.

Hospitals and staff are at their breaking point, with many out of basic life sustaining supplies like oxygen plants and oxygen cylinders, with a resulting black market emerging to address the demand. Quite simply, people are getting infected and dying faster than they can be counted, and even the facilities for cremating the dead have been overwhelmed.

Our guest is Amitabh Sinha, an editor with the Indian Express, based in Pune, about 150 kilometers from Mumbai.

Be sure to check Episode 80 for the second part of our discussion, where we speak with journalist Meena Menon about the poor state of press freedom in India and how it relates to reporting on the pandemic.

For those looking to get involved or to donate, these links have been suggested by friends in India. As always, be sure to do your homework and your own vetting before donating to any organization.



INDIA DONATIONS - COVID

MUTUAL AID FUNDRAISERS - INDIA

 
 
 

Episode 23: Reporting India

Meena Menon is the author of three books, and her reporting career has seen her covering a broad range of topics in India, and also took her to Islamabad, Pakistan as the correspondent for The Hindu. We discuss her experiences as an Indian reporting from Pakistan and India-Pakistan relations, the suicides of tens of thousands of Indian farmers since the 1980’s and the colonial legacy of the cotton industry, the 1992-93 sectarian riots in Mumbai, and her thoughts on the upcoming general elections in India, the world’s largest democracy. You can find links to her three books below.

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Correction: in the introduction I mistakenly stated that the Babri Mosque was located in the state of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh.