Washington Post's Annie Gowen tweets protesting Modi government's ban on sharing information

Annie Gowen's tweets are not about spending money on PR but on ban on information flow. Twitter pic

November 28, 2015, NewsCrunch

Foreign journalists are usually content doing followup stories, working their contacts, which are easy to come by given their exalted status.

They do not usually take on the host government on the administrative issues that affect their work.

The Washington Post's India bureau chief  Annie Gowen broke this norm on Friday by tweeting that fancy PR agencies had been trying to contact her. She also made a comment that suggested that the government  should not be spending money on them.

Her tweet created a splash with many reading it as evidence of Modi government wasting money to get publicity.

Annie Gowen posted a followup tweet on Saturday clarifying her statement further, hinting at the source of her frustration, and indeed, of many other journalists in Delhi.

After Modi took over, one of the first moves made by his government was to place an informal ban on sharing of information by officers and ministers.There was never an official order, but the word was out and sources dried up overnight.

A fear psychosis developed among officers as rumours of government snooping on movements and communication of key personnel started buzzing.

From officers to clerks, and from gossips to documents, everything started getting held back leaving journalists in the lurch.

This is perhaps what Annie Gowen means when she asks Modi government to make its officers available instead of spending money on PR.