From Brut India: “The Rafale deal between India and France has been shrouded by controversy for years. This week, a French news portal published new allegations that should worry every Indian. Brut spoke to Yann Philippin, the journalist behind the investigation, to understand why his findings are important.”
This journalist has alleged that a company headquartered in and with a brand deeply associated with the country of which he is a citizen has used underhand methods to bag a contract, meaning therefore that the product being thus sold would not have automatically qualified on its merits and was therefore of inferior quality or more expensive than the other bidders.
That means that by his investigative journalism, he has exposed the wrongdoings of a beloved company and brand of his own country and brought ‘disrepute’ to it. Maybe, because of this piece, the company may end up losing the unfulfilled part of the contract with India, and may even be blacklisted in India and several other countries which may look upon this kind of loose morals as unacceptable, thus harming and hurting the nationalist brand of the very country of which this journalist is a citizen, and which has nurtured this journalist and his ancestors (and if his ancestors came from out of the country and were immigrants, it makes the ‘crime’ even worse, if you know what I mean).
But, and I can bet my last paisa on this, he will not be called anti-national in France. He will receive no death threats. The equivalent of the Income Tax Department, the Enforcement Directorate, and other revenue collection agencies in France will not be raiding or sending notices to him or his employer(s). The police will not lodge a case against him for ‘disturbing the peace’ or sedition or whatever. The other media players will not run debates on his ‘treasonous’ act where they will denounce him from their pulpits and trend hashtags against him. He will not be accused of working for a political opposition party. There won’t be any rumours about him being in the pay of a foreign power. In fact, he will be looked up to and could even win an award and be feted for his act. He will live peacefully without threats of persecution or violence, and will go on with his life and livelihood doing other things.
To conclude: This, my friends, is the difference between a free press and lapdog media. And of course, the difference between a real democracy and a sham PR republic.
