Days after the Delhi Police raided NewsClick and several dozen journalists associated with the news webiste, The New York Times claimed that any government using its reporting to silence journalists would be deeply troubling.
“Independent journalism follows the facts where they lead,” a spokesperson for The New York Times told Scroll. “We published a thoroughly reported story showing the network’s ties to Chinese interests. We would find it deeply troubling and unacceptable if any government were to use our reporting as an excuse to silence journalists.”
The statement came in response to an article on Scroll by Kavita Krishnan. The activist had been approached by The New York Times to comment on the allegations against NewsClick for its report that was published on August 5, but she declined. Krishnan said that she refused to give a quote as she feared that the story would fuel the ongoing persecution of NewsClick journalists. Now it is clear that the “regime is using NYT’s story to equate journalism with terrorism”, she noted in her article and questioned why the newspaper did not challenge the “misuse of its story”.
In its report, the Times claimed that NewsClick had received funds from a network centred around American tech millionaire Neville Roy Singham to spread “Chinese propaganda” around the world. It added that Singham worked closely with the “Chinese government media machine” and promoted its point of view in various countries.
Less than two weeks later, the Delhi Police filed a case under the anti-terrorism law, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, against NewsClick. On Tuesday, they raided the organisation’s employees and contributors, sealed its office and arrested editor Prabir Purkayastha and human resources head Amit Chakraborty.
After the Times report was published, Purkayashtha had said that the allegations about NewsClick functioning as a mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China were false. In a statement on Wednesday, the news organisation reiterated that it does not take directions from Singham.
“All funding received by NewsClick has been through the appropriate banking channels and have been reported to the relevant authorities as required by law, as substantiated by the Reserve Bank of India in proceedings before the High Court of Delhi,” it added. It also called The New York Times article “motivated and bogus” and said that it has been used to “invoke the draconian UAPA and attempt to shut down and stifle independent and fearless voices”.
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