WORK EXPERIENCE
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
India Representative (July 2022 – Present):
- Lead CPJ’s India operations including engagement strategy
- Research, document, and advocate for press freedom and journalist safety in India.
- Engage with the media on behalf of CPJ.
India Correspondent (June 2018 – July 2022):
- Contributed to CPJ’s Asia program by documenting press freedom violations across India.
- Reported news alerts, features, and conducted research on violence against journalists.
- Aided CPJ’s Emergencies team in organizing safety workshops nationwide.
- Supported CPJ’s advocacy for press freedom with Indian, US, and EU governments.
- Received the Jan Mitra Award for journalist safety efforts in Uttar Pradesh.
- Nominated for the European Union Visitors Programme for my work in press freedom advocacy in India.
AJK Mass Communication Research Centre – Jamia Millia Islamia
Visiting Faculty (January 2021 – February 2023):
- Instructed Master’s level courses in Journalistic Writing, Media Laws and Ethics, and Media Entrepreneurship.
- Merged practical expertise with academic instruction.
Indian Express Limited
Chief Editor- InUth.com (August 2016 to October 2017):
- Led a team of 20 professionals for the youth-focused news site InUth.com.
- Emphasized innovative content delivery with a mobile-first approach.
Rajasthan Patrika Group
Editor – Operations and Speed News at Catch News (August 2014 to July 2016):
- One of the founding editors of the English-language news portal Catch News
- Led a team of 15 journalists, overseeing real-time news coverage
Tehelka
Assistant Editor (September 2012 – December 2013):
- Headed digital operations at Tehelka, overseeing a 15-member team of copy editors, video editors, radio professionals, and IT coders.
- Spearheaded the revamping of the Tehelka website and the successful launch of Tehelka.com 2.0.
- Expanded online platforms by introducing Tehelka Radio and Tehelka Blogs.
- Implemented a highly effective social media strategy, significantly increasing Tehelka’s presence on Twitter and Facebook.
Principal Correspondent (September 2011 – August 2012):
- Specialized in foreign affairs, reporting from countries including Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, and Bangladesh. Authored articles on India-Pakistan trade relations and provided insights into the Pakistan Military.
- Pioneered coverage of the Shahbag movement in Bangladesh, becoming one of the first Indian reporters on the ground.
- Initiated Tehelka’s entry into the digital space by formulating a comprehensive social media strategy.
Senior Correspondent (September 2010 – August 2011)
- Recipient of the Statesman Award for Rural Reporting for an investigative piece on child miners in Meghalaya.
- Conducted interviews with Maoist leaders in the jungles of Chhattisgarh following a deadly attack on CRPF jawans.
- Specialized in national politics, contributing a weekly interview column featured on the first page.
Correspondent (September 2009 – August 2010)
- Initiated career as a business correspondent at Tehelka before transitioning to current affairs, emphasizing Northeast India.
- Extensively covered the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, delving into its impact on Manipuri civil society.
- Investigated and exposed the illegal cervical vaccine drive among tribal girls in Andhra Pradesh, earning the UNPFA-Laadli Award for Best Features in 2009.
EDUCATION
M.A. Convergent Journalism, AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 2009.
Exchange program, Sciences Po, Paris, 2009
B.A. (Honors) English, Department of English, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 2007.
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Impulse NGO Network
Core Committee Member – Press Lab (January 2018-present):
- Serve on the steering committee of the Impulse Model Press Lab, providing support to journalists reporting on human trafficking through fellowships and mentorship.
Foundation for Preservation of Mahayana Tradition:
Co-Programme Coordinator – Root Institute (March 2023- December 2023)
- Continued engagement with Root Institute for Wisdom Culture
- Responsible for organizing and overseeing short courses on Buddhist philosophy
- Courses conducted by qualified FPMT-affiliated instructors
- Contributes to the dissemination of Buddhist wisdom within a supportive educational framework
Volunteer Spiritual Programme Coordination Assistant – Root Institute (January-December 2019)
- Assisted in coordinating various components of the center’s spiritual programs
AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS
2022: Nominated for European Union Visitors Programme
2022: Recognised with Jan Mitra Award by People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights, Varanasi for CPJ’s work on journalist safety in Uttar Pradesh
2011: Statesman Award for Rural Reporting for an investigative report on child miners in Meghalaya.
2010: UNFPA-Laadli Award for Gender Sensitivity for an investigative story into the illegal cervical vaccine drive among tribal girls in Andhra Pradesh.
2008: Nominated to represent India at Foreign Correspondents’ Programme, Helsinki, May 2008
WORKSHOPS, LECTURES & TALKS
Invited Lecture: Press Freedom in India, Loyola University, Maryland (USA): March 23, 2023
Invited Lecture: Press Freedom and India: An uneasy relationship, The New School, New York (USA): February 21, 2023
Invited Lecture: Ethical Journalism and Free Press: A Symbiotic Relationship, Visva Bharati University, Shantiniketan (India): January 19, 2023
Instructor: Building a safer field for journalists, Journalist Safety Workshop organized by CPJ and the Assam chapter of the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI), Guwahati (India): October 12, 2022
Invited Moderator: Legal Challenges Faced by Journalists in India, Asian College of Journalism, Chennai: October 11, 2022
Invited Moderator: Being a Women Journalist and Facing Online Hate, Talk Journalism, Jaipur: August 1, 2022
Panelist: Silencing Kashmir — Threats to Press Freedom, CFE Virtual Forum Series: #1 in CFE Series: Threats to Press Freedom, March 2, 2022
Invited Speaker: How safe is it to be a journalist today? Talk Journalism, Jaipur (India); September 21, 2019
Instructor: Safety kits for journalists covering elections, Nagpur Press Club, Nagpur (India): August 28, 20219
Instructor: Digital Security for journalists covering elections, Manipur Press Club, Imphal (India): March 29, 2019)
Invited Moderator: Youth, social media and elections, #VoiceOfTheEast: A collaboration between Twitter India and Impulse NGO Network, Shillong (India): March 16, 2019
Invited Moderator: Media & Culture: The Connects and the Disconnects, Arth Cultural Fest, New Delhi: March 2, 2019
Invited Moderator: LGBTQ Rights & Political Will, #Pride2018: Twitter India & The Quint Talk LGBTQ+ Rights, New Delhi (India): June 22, 2018
Panelist: Mature Media – Responsible Response towards Human Trafficking, Anti Trafficking-in-Persons Conclave 3: Moving Forward Together (Organized by the American Centre, Kolkata and Impulse NGO Network), Guwahati (India): December 5, 2013
Invited Speaker: More than Maoism: Rural Dislocation in South Asia, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore: March 22, 2010.
ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS, RESEARCH REPORTS & SELECT ARTICLES
Published Book Chapters:
Majumder, Kunal. “227 Lawyer Apar Gupta on what the Indian Supreme Court’s order on COVID-19 coverage means for journalists.” In Media, Migrants, and the Pandemic in India: A Reader, pp. 227-229. Routledge, 2023.
More than Maoism: Politics, policies and insurgencies in South Asia (eds.) Robin Jeffrey, Ronojoy Sen & Pratima Sen, ISAS, Institute of South Asian Studies: 2012
Joint Research Reports:
Number of jailed journalists spikes to new global record, Committee to Protect Journalists: December 14, 2022.
Special report: When spyware turns phones into weapons, Committee to Protect Journalists: October 13, 2022. https://cpj.org/?p=236077
Recent Reportage:
In India’s hardest-hit newsroom, surveilled reporters fear for their families and future journalists. Committee to Protect Journalists: October 13, 2022. https://cpj.org/2022/10/indias-hardest-hit-newsroom-surveilled/
Women journalists in India feel more at risk after ‘auction’ apps worsen online abuse Committee to Protect Journalists: January 31, 2022. https://cpj.org/2022/01/women-journalists-india-auction-apps-online-abuse/
Indian journalist Rana Ayyub on facing death threats and a money laundering probe, Committee to Protect Journalists: April 1, 2022. https://cpj.org/?p=181976
Lawyer Apar Gupta: With Pegasus probe, India’s Supreme Court is pushing the government to answer to journalists, Committee to Protect Journalists: November 3, 2021. https://cpj.org/?p=142528
Indian journalist Sandhya Ravishankar describes ‘conflict zone for female journalists’ ahead of Tamil Nadu elections, Committee to Protect Journalists: April 22, 2021. https://cpj.org/?p=93272
Mission Journal: Journalists in India’s Uttar Pradesh say threat of attack or prosecution looms large, Committee to Protect Journalists: April 23, 2020. https://cpj.org/?p=37356
Lawyer Mishi Choudhury on what India shutdowns ruling means for journalists, Committee to Protect Journalists: January 16, 2020. https://cpj.org/?p=36415
‘I feel like a weight has been lifted’ freelance journalist Santosh Yadav says as Chhattisgarh court ends four-year legal nightmare, Committee to Protect Journalists: January 8, 2020. https://cpj.org/?p=36359
Kashmir’s news media faces existential crisis amid restrictions, arrests, Committee to Protect Journalists: September 24, 2019. https://cpj.org/?p=35706
Results of India’s election climate for journalist safety are in, Committee to Protect Journalists: May 23, 2019 https://cpj.org/?p=34783
Chhattisgarh’s plan for journalist safety law could be template for all India, Committee to Protect Journalists: February 15, 20219. https://cpj.org/?p=34093
RECENT MEDIA INTERVIEWS & COVERAGE
Police in India book journalists after posts on alleged Muslim lynching, Al Jazeera, July 11, 2024
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/11/police-in-india-book-journalists-for-post-on-alleged-lynching-of-muslim-man
Are these the last of our kind? Mid-Day, June 30, 2024
https://www.mid-day.com/sunday-mid-day/article/are-these-the-last-of-our-kind-23358619
French journalist describes India’s permit denial as a ‘slap in the face’, VOA, June 26, 2024
2024 India election: A check on the power of the BJP, Radio Taiwan International, June 10, 2024
https://en.rti.org.tw/radio/programMessageView/programId/1447/id/110050
Is India’s free press not so free after a decade of Modi? CNN, May 22, 2024
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/22/media/india-elections-press-freedom-decline-intl-hnk
Inde: des journalistes harcelés et enfermés par le pouvoir libérés par la Cour suprême, Radio France International, May 16, 2024
https://www.rfi.fr/fr/asie-pacifique/20240516-inde-des-journalistes-harcel%C3%A9s-et-enferm%C3%A9s-par-le-pouvoir-lib%C3%A9r%C3%A9s-par-la-cour-supr%C3%AAme
How the Indian government is weaponizing laws to silence and intimidate journalists, International Journalists Network, May 14, 2024
https://ijnet.org/en/story/how-indian-government-weaponizing-laws-silence-and-intimidate-journalists
Amid Increasing Pressure, Journalists in India Practice More Self-Censorship, Al Jazeera Journalism Review, April 25, 2024
https://institute.aljazeera.net/en/ajr/article/2644
India’s government accused of targeting foreign reporters who have ‘crossed the line’, SCMP, April 24, 2024
Inde: les médias régulièrement censurés ou harcelés ces dix dernières années, Radio France International, April 21, 2024
https://www.rfi.fr/fr/asie-pacifique/20240420-inde-les-m%C3%A9dias-r%C3%A9guli%C3%A8rement-censur%C3%A9s-ou-harcel%C3%A9s-ces-dix-derni%C3%A8res-ann%C3%A9es
Navigating India’s election as a journalist (feat. Kunāl Majumder and Amrita Madhukalya), Radio Taiwan International, April 22, 2024
https://en.rti.org.tw/radio/programMessageView/programId/1447/id/109806
Why Bollywood is cranking out pro-government films ahead of India’s election, CS Monitor, April 9, 2024
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2024/0409/modi-bollywood-india-election
Investigating India: How Smaller, Independent News Outlets Are Digging into Politics in a Key Election Year, GIJN, April 3, 2024
https://gijn.org/stories/india-independent-news-investigating-key-election-year/
Safety guide launched for journalists covering Lok Sabha elections, The Hindu, March 09, 2024
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/safety-guide-launched-for-journalists-covering-lok-sabha-elections/article67929505.ece
Kashmir: Asif Sultan, the journalist caught in ‘revolving door’ of arrests, BBC, March 12, 2024
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68508882
Safety guide launched for journalists covering Lok Sabha elections, The Hindu, March 9, 2024
Man Accused Of Killing Journalist In Maharashtra Received Payment From Refinery: Investigation, Forbidden Stories, February 7, 2024
https://forbiddenstories.org/man-accused-of-killing-journalist-in-maharashtra-received-payment-from-refinery/
‘Jail crushes you slowly’: Kashmiri journalist reflects on prison ordeal, The Guardian, December 5, 2023
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/05/kashmiri-journalist-fahad-shah-reflects-on-prison-ordeal
After 658 days in jail, Kashmir journalist Fahad Shah shares his story, The Christian Science Monitor,
November 27, 2023
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2023/1127/After-658-days-in-jail-Kashmir-journalist-Fahad-Shah-shares-his-story
Monitor reporter’s trial opens: Why India treats journalists as terrorists, The Christian Science Monitor,
April 19, 2023
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2023/0419/Monitor-reporter-s-trial-opens-Why-India-treats-journalists-as-terrorists
भारत में पत्रकारों की हालत जान चौंक जाएंगे आप, 7 पत्रकार हैं जेल में तो दर्जन भर पर लगा है UAPA, ABP Live (Hindi), May 9, 2023
https://www.abplive.com/blog/in-india-the-situation-of-freedom-of-press-is-on-an-alarming-level-the-number-of-jailed-journalists-is-highest-this-time-2403054
What the raids on BBC mean for press freedom in India, Deutsche Welle, February 23, 2023
https://www.dw.com/en/dw-news-asia-with-biresh-banerjee-23-february-2023/video-47236523
BBC tax raids put India press freedom in spotlight, AFP, February 17, 2023
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230217-bbc-tax-raids-put-india-press-freedom-in-spotlight
‘Searches at BBC offices have a message for local journalists’, VOA Urdu, February 17, 2023
‘I reported the truth – and was taken to jail’ – the journalists in prison in India, Al Jazeera Review,
February 15, 2023 https://institute.aljazeera.net/en/ajr/article/2105
Monitoring the media: How India uses surveillance to suppress dissent, The Newsminute, February 9, 2023
Amid eroding press freedoms, Indian journalist released from prison, Coda Story: February 2, 2023
Inde: un journaliste musulman accusé de terrorisme libéré sous caution après deux ans de détention, Radio France International: February 2, 2023 https://www.rfi.fr/fr/asie-pacifique/20230202-inde-un-journaliste-musulman-accus%C3%A9-de-terrorisme-lib%C3%A9r%C3%A9-sous-caution-apr%C3%A8s-deux-ans-de-d%C3%A9tention
India’s Gen Z grapples with Modi’s dark past in clashes over new documentary, NBC, January 28, 2023
As Islamophobia Infects Indian Newsrooms, Muslim Journalists Persevere Amid The Bigotry, Article 14, August 17, 2022
https://article-14.com/post/as-islamophobia-infects-indian-newsrooms-muslim-journalists-persevere-amid-the-bigotry–62fc4b4738535
CITATIONS IN ACADEMIC PAPERS:
Iqbal, Kehkashan & Bhat, Iftikhar. (2023). Protection Of Journalists In India – A Legal Perspective. 10.17051/ilkonline.2020.04.765204.
Tambini, Damian (2021) What is journalism? The paradox of media privilege. European Human Rights Law Review, 2021 (5). 523 – 539. ISSN 1361-1526
Shah, Priyal & Chaturvedi Aakanksha. (2021) Laws for Journalists in India: An Overview. Social and Political Research Foundation