The Mob, the State and Harassment of Journalists via Twitter in India

Abstract

Media scholars exploring online harassment of journalists have described it as a form of ‘mob censorship,’ a type of citizen vigilantism aimed at delegitimizing and silencing journalists. Arguably, this trend is most pervasive in India, where online supporters of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) troll and abuse journalists critical of the Narendra Modi government. Over the years, the BJP has harnessed the digital work of these online Hindu nationalists for agenda setting, spreading their political ideology, and influencing public discourse. Such a symbiotic relationship between the mob and the state has put to question the argument distinguishing mob censorship and state censorship of the press. Through a qualitative textual analysis of tweets posted by online Hindu nationalists, this article explores the discursive strategies employed by right-wing activists to influence the BJP government in its censorship of the press. This study finds that through tactics such as calls to ‘cancel’ journalists, intimidation of foreign correspondents, and digital surveillance of news reporters, online Hindu nationalists aid the BJP government in the suppression of dissident reporting in India.