The news blur: 12 days of March, running on the media treadmill

During the Emergency of 1975-’77, a few newspapers and magazines tried to get the better of the censors. In the first few days, The Indian Express, most famously had white space on its columns for editorials. The censors got onto that quickly.

The Economic and Political Weekly in Bombay ran an occasional full page of extracts from published newspaper reports. Called “Clippings”, no censor could object. They spoke for themselves, no comment was needed.

Here is one report from the Clippings of December 4, 1975:

“Mr [Sunjay] Gandhi remarked that though Vyasarpadi [in Tamil Nadu] was the worst affected area in the floods, "I see smiling faces here. Much of our troubles would be over if only all of us keep smiling”, he said.” – The Hindustan Times, November 29

That was half a century ago. There is no censorship now in the world’s largest democracy which is also the world’s oldest democracy. There is so much happening, though, that it is hard to keep track and, most important, difficult to remember. A journal or diary on the phone is a useful tool to track what is happening.

Here is one compilation of news reports and a couple of social media posts from 12 days in March. The headlines are as in the original. The period is...

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