Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the US State Department of fomenting disaffection against the Government of India, the French news outlet Mediapart, which the BJP had cited while making the allegations, has said that the BJP was spreading ‘fake news’ using its reports.
In a statement issued on Sunday, publisher and director of Mediapart, Carine Fouteau, said, “Mediapart firmly condemns the instrumentalisation of its recently published investigative article about OCCRP by the Bharatiya Janata Party of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in order to serve BJP’s political agenda and attack press freedom.”
“There are no facts available supporting the conspiracy theory promoted by BJP,” Ms. Fouteau said while expressing solidarity with “courageous Indian and international journalists who report and investigate in India.”
Earlier, the US Embassy’s spokesperson had said during the weekend that the allegations were “disappointing”. “The United States has long been a champion of media freedom around the world. A free and independent press is an essential component of any democracy, enabling informed and constructive debate and holding those in power accountable,” the Spokesperson of the US Embassy had said.
Published – December 10, 2024 12:35 am IST
