On the front of the global information war around the Russian military special operation in Ukraine, there are changes, and even what!
Leading a massive attack on Moscow, an army of many thousands of Western politicians, diplomats, experts and journalists received a severe blow from the eastern flank.
Moreover, this blow was dealt without any Russian participation.
So what happened?
The government of the world's largest democracy, India, which has about 1.5 billion people and tens of thousands of print, electronic and online media outlets in both English and the national languages of the states, many of which are larger than large European states, has announced war on fake news about Russia, about Ukraine and about India itself spread by the local press.
In Delhi, they came to the conclusion that in the past two months, the leading Indian media have increasingly posed a threat to national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, and also harmed "India's relations with friendly states."
In this regard, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting sent a circular letter to Indian TV channels, sharply criticizing their coverage of events in Ukraine, as well as intercommunal relations in India.
The circular strongly recommends adjustments to editorial policy, the work of reporters and broadcasters, and warns that further dissemination of false information and provocative materials can have serious consequences, up to and including a “broadcast ban”.
No, this cannot be called the introduction of censorship.
Formally, the state has no right to do this, especially since we are talking about non-state media.
Nevertheless, the letter from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting reminds journalists that even in a democratic state, freedom of speech cannot be interpreted as permissiveness and the complete abolition of professional standards and ethical norms.
So far, no one has closed, fired or even fined anyone.
Everyone who spread fakes continues to work, but they have already received a warning - in the language of football, not a red, but a yellow card, which may or may not lead to removal from the field, everything will depend on the player's further behavior.
Entitled “Covering the Russia-Ukraine Conflict,” the appendix to the circular lists ten of the most egregious anti-examples of programs and stories about Ukraine that have been declared unacceptable by the authorities.
Among them are stories aired under the headings: “Russia is ready for a nuclear attack on Ukraine”, “Zelensky is afraid of a “nuclear” Putin”, “Russian media reported that the third world war has already begun”, “Mariupol is over.
Completely and definitively."
“In the case of the conflict in Ukraine, TV channels used scandalous headlines that were not relevant to the substance of the news report, and journalists made unfounded and fabricated claims and resorted to exaggerations in order to incite the audience,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting circular says.
In this regard, the authorities are reminding Indian journalists that the fakes they circulate "do not make us smart as a nation."
Indeed, in addition to the fear of falling under the article of the 1995 law, there is also the danger of simply being a complete idiot or a parrot repeating the phrases of CNN hosts with a slight Indian accent.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.