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India does not have a spotless history of free speech.
印度言论自由的历史并非一尘不染。
In 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a 21-month emergency during which constitutional rights were suspended, the press was censored, and journalists were jailed.
1975年，印度总理英迪拉·甘地宣布进入21个月的紧急状态，在此期间，暂停宪法权，审查媒体，监禁记者。
Journalists reporting from small towns and rural areas have long been vulnerable to violent attacks.
长期以来，在小城镇和农村地区进行报道的记者很容易受到暴力袭击。
But experts say the journalism industry has never before faced such serious pressures on so many different fronts.
但专家表示，新闻业以前从未在这么多不同的领域面临过如此沉重的压力。
Despite India’s reputation for a vast and vibrant news industry, most of the major outlets today are owned by large family-controlled conglomerates which also invest in other large industries, and some of which are politically affiliated, an RSF study found.
记者无国界组织（RSF）的一项研究发现，尽管印度的新闻行业以规模庞大、朝气蓬勃而闻名，但如今大多数主要新闻机构都由大型家族企业所有，这些企业同时还投资了其他大型行业，其中一些企业与政治有关。
This level of concentration and “cross ownership” means journalists often feel the need to censor themselves and avoid reporting on “forbidden subjects,” Mr. Bastard says.
这种高度集中与“跨行所有权”意味着记者经常觉得有必要审查自己，避免报道“被禁止的主题”，巴斯塔德说。
In December, billionaire and close Modi ally Gautam Adani, acquired New Delhi Television or NDTV, long considered one of the last and most prominent independent voices in mainstream Indian television.
去年12月，莫迪的亲密盟友、亿万富翁高塔姆·阿达尼收购了新德里电视台，该电视台长期以来被认为是印度主流电视台中最后也是最著名的独立声音之一。
A number of high-profile journalists quit soon after.
此后不久，许多知名记者从台里辞职。
“This is the end of a kind of pluralism in mainstream media,” Mr. Bastard says.
“这是主流媒体多元化的终结，” 巴斯塔德说。
While a number of independent news organizations persist, they are generally small and publish mostly in English, leaving many average Indians consuming news of dubious objectivity appearing on social media or in pro-government media.
虽然仍有一些独立新闻机构存在，但它们通常规模较小，出版语言主要为英语，这使许多普通印度人观看的是社交媒体或亲政府媒体上出现的客观性存疑的新闻。
As in many other countries, there’s been a pattern in India whereby fake news peddled on social media often seeps into prime time debate.
和其他许多国家一样，在印度，社交媒体上散布的假新闻经常进入黄金时段的讨论中。
Days before the BBC raids, for instance, TV news channels circulated a claim that the BBC was funded by China, India’s historic rival.
例如，在BBC遭突袭的几天前，电视新闻频道就流传着一种说法，称BBC是由印度的宿敌中国资助的。
In such an environment, journalists have faced increased online abuse, and fear of persecution.
在这样的环境下，记者面临着越来越多的网络谩骂，害怕被迫害。
Free Speech Collective, an Indian advocacy group, reports that 154 journalists were “arrested, detained, interrogated or served show cause notices for their professional work” between 2010 and 2020.
印度“自由言论组织”（一个宣传组织）报告称，在2010年至2020年期间，有154名记者“因其专业工作而被逮捕、拘留、审讯或送达理由通知”。
More than 60 of those cases were recorded in 2020.
其中60多例是在2020年记录的。
“Those who boldly stand their ground are targeted and tamed,” says Vinod K. Jose, who until recently was the executive editor at The Caravan, a Delhi-based magazine.
维诺德·何塞前不久还是德里杂志《大篷车》的执行主编，他说：“那些勇敢地坚持自己立场的人会成为攻击目标并被驯服。”
Many legacy outlets “have chosen to limit critical coverage to their opinion pages, but finding a lead and investigating it are more important for an Indian newsroom when the government is trying to control the narratives,” he argues.
他认为，许多遗留媒体“选择将批评性报道限制在他们的意见版面上，但当政府试图控制叙事时，对印度新闻编辑部来说，找到导语并进行追究更为重要。”
Meanwhile, several regions have become “information black holes,” Mr. Bastard adds, “and that is not worthy of a democracy.”
与此同时，一些地区已经成为“信息黑洞”，巴斯塔德补充道，“这配不上民主。”
