Dhanya Rajendran, the Editor-in-Chief of The News Minute, loves to project herself as a fearless advocate of free speech. However, her hypocrisy is so blatant that it no longer surprises those who follow her work closely. Her selective outrage and double standards when it comes to free speech and media freedom expose the hollow nature of her self-proclaimed activism. While she aggressively criticizes the central government for any move that she deems restrictive, she remains conspicuously silent when the DMK government in Tamil Nadu indulges in actual authoritarian practices against free speech.
Take, for instance, her recent tweet on March 25, 2025, where she wrote: “We owe it to Kunal Kamra for standing for free speech and media freedom. It was he who went to court against the govt trying to introduce its fact check unit as part of IT rules and got a stay order.”
We owe it to Kunal Kamra for standing for free speech and media freedom. It was he who went to court against the govt trying to introduce its fact check unit as part of IT rules and got a stay order https://t.co/7g85hSLNIV
— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) March 24, 2025
This tweet came in the wake of Shiv Sena attacking a venue where Kamra performed a standup show in which he called Maharashtra Minister Eknath Shinde a coward. Dhanya Rajendran’s defense of Kamra as a ‘free speech warrior’ is laughable given her track record of conveniently ignoring similar or even worse instances of suppression when it comes to her political allies.
The Case Against PIB’s Fact-Check Unit
Back in April 2023, the central government empowered the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to fact-check and request the removal of any content deemed “fake, false, or misleading” regarding the central government on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google.
This move faced immediate legal challenges from various quarters, including stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India, and other media associations which is what Dhanya Rajendran referred to her in her X post in solidarity with Kamra.
Kunal Kamra and other petitioners argue that granting a government body the authority to unilaterally determine the veracity of online content posed a significant threat to freedom of speech and expression, potentially leading to censorship and the suppression of dissenting voices.
The Bombay High Court initially heard these petitions and delivered a split verdict. Subsequently, a third judge was appointed to provide a decisive opinion. In the interim, on March 20, 2024, the central government proceeded to notify the establishment of the FCU under the PIB. However, just a day later, on March 21, 2024, the Supreme Court of India stayed the operation of this notification, emphasizing that the matter involved serious constitutional issues related to the fundamental right to free speech.
Dhanya Rajendran’s Rant Against PIB’s Fact-Check Unit
Dhanya Rajendran took to her YouTube series No Filter With Dhanya Rajendran to brand the Centre’s PIB Fact-Check Unit move as an attack on media freedom. She ranted about how the Indian government has a problem with critical journalism.
“The Indian government has a problem with any journalist or media organisation that reports critically on the government. After many covert and overt attempts to muzzle the media, the government is ready with its latest attempt.”, she said.
This certainly isn’t the case as there has never been a government at the Centre which continues to be criticized day in and day out by heavily biased media outlets both within and outside the country, including The News Minute. Dhanya Rajendran’s blanket statement makes it appear as if Communist dictators have taken over the country.
In another video on government “fact-check units”, she says that if the police are involved in any such unit everybody should oppose. But has she?
Fascist Enabler Dhanya
Ironically, she never expressed the same concerns when the Tamil Nadu government implemented a far more draconian policy in 2022. The DMK-led government, in its budget that year, announced the formation of a Social Media Monitoring Centre under the police department, which was tasked with ‘battling fake news and misinformation on social media platforms.’ Over 200 officials and police personnel were deputed to track and take action against posts deemed unfavorable to the government.
Unlike the central government’s fact-checking mechanism, which was at least subject to legal scrutiny, Tamil Nadu’s Social Media Monitoring Centre functioned with unchecked power. Predictably, this ‘monitoring’ system was used to suppress dissent and silence critics of the DMK government. But did Dhanya Rajendran or The News Minute raise an alarm over this blatant attack on free speech? Not a word.
In April 2022, a Twitter handle named @ITWReports emerged, identifying itself as an entity dedicated to reporting ‘abusive content’ against the Tamil Nadu government and its leaders. This handle functioned like a private militia for the DMK, working to suppress criticism and opposition voices. Several individuals faced harassment and legal trouble simply for voicing dissent.
The Fact-Checking Unit (FCU) is tasked with verifying claims related to the state government, its departments, and public sector entities across platforms. It can independently initiate fact-checks and process complaints from various sources, classifying them as actionable or non-actionable. Cases requiring action are forwarded to legal and enforcement teams for further steps. Notably, suo moto powers are exclusive to the High Court and Supreme Court, not even granted to the police.
It is a very well-known fact that the DMK government in Tamil Nadu has been taking extreme action on comments critical of their government made on social media platforms ever since they came to power.
Neither Dhanya Rajendran nor her organization have even uttered a word about the blatant abuse of power by the DMK with the police being used as mercenaries to hunt down on critics.
And guess what did this madam do? She platformed the FCU’s “Mission Director” for a podcast in The News Minute’s YouTube channel.
By legitimizing an illegal anti-democratic wing of the DMK government, staying mute and turning a blind eye to its brazen overreach, Dhanya should be called out or being a fascist-enabler.
A Shameless Hypocrite
A journalist’s primary duty is to be impartial and to hold all governments accountable, irrespective of their political affiliations. However, Dhanya Rajendran’s double standards suggest otherwise. She goes all out in attacking the central government but refuses to acknowledge the authoritarian tendencies of the DMK.
Her failure to criticize Tamil Nadu’s social media surveillance and suppression of dissent raises serious questions about her credibility. Is she merely a mouthpiece for the DMK? If she truly cares about free speech, why does she apply different standards based on which political party is in power?
Media freedom is a cornerstone of democracy, but when journalists allow their biases to dictate their reporting, they undermine the very principles they claim to stand for. If Dhanya Rajendran genuinely believes in free speech, she must exhibit consistency instead of picking and choosing battles based on her political leanings. Or better yet, she should openly declare her biases instead of hiding behind the facade of ‘independent journalism’ while pushing a partisan agenda.
It’s time that people see through this charade and recognize The News Minute for what it truly is—an unofficial propaganda wing of the DMK masquerading as a media outlet.
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