The Wire Calls Out "Blatant Censorship" After Website Blocked In India
New Delhi: One of the leading Indian news portals, The Wire’s website, has been blocked by Internet Service Providers, reportedly following orders from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology under the IT Act, 2000. In its statement, The Wire affirmed that it stood against the “blatant censorship” and is taking necessary steps to challenge the move.
This comes a day after the Global Government Affairs handle of X (formerly Twitter) announced that the Indian government directed the social media platform to restrict access to the accounts of several users and news outlets in the backdrop of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
Also Read | India-Pak Conflict: Things Happened In The Newsrooms But Not In The Frontlines
Some of these include the X (formerly Twitter) handles of independent digital news outlets Maktoob Media, The Kashmiriyat, and Free Press Kashmir.
“We protest this blatant censorship at a critical time for India when sane, truthful, fair and rational voices and sources of news and information are among the biggest assets that India has,” stated The Wire.
Calling the move a “clear violation of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press”, The Wire reiterated its commitment to provide truthful and accurate news, stating, “We will not be deterred.”
Dear Readers of The Wire
In a clear violation of the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press, the Government of India has blocked access to https://t.co/mEOYg6zJMu across India. + pic.twitter.com/K1jRk3Vxpy
— The Wire (@thewire_in) May 9, 2025
Founded in 2015 by journalist Siddharth Varadarajan, Sidharth Bhatia, and M. K. Venu, The Wire is an independent news outlet known for providing aggressive coverage of the current BJP-led central government at a time when mainstream media fails to do so.
In September 2021, The Wire received the Free Media Pioneer Award given by the International Press Institute for being ‘an unflinching defender of independent, high-quality journalism’.
The withholding of news organisations like The Wire, Maktoob Media and others follows a pattern of similar actions against other accounts critical of the Indian government. In January 2024, the account of Hindutva Watch, a research initiative monitoring hate crimes, was also withheld in the country following a legal demand from the Union government.
The recent action by the government against news media has raised concerns among press freedom advocates, who view it as part of a broader trend of suppressing independent journalism in India.
Also Read | X Blocks Over 8,000 Accounts In India Following Government Directive
Meanwhile, the last 48 hours witnessed a barrage of fake news by mainstream media channels following India’s Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Several news outlets such as Aaj Tak, Zee News, Republic TV and more ran headlines with unverified claims including India capturing Islamabad and more.
Many independent journalists and fact checkers had to call them out for spreading misinformation especially during such sensitive times. Even the Indian Army had to make clarifications on some false claims run by mainstream news outlets.
