Cyber-press freedom

The Internet and investigative journalism make a powerful combination, as the Indian Government has discovered to its cost. Two journalists for an Indian news Web site, Tehelka.com, have exposed a tale of corruption in defense purchases that has shaken Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's administration.

This is not the first time the Indian press has uncovered corruption in defense deals. A decade ago, newspapers unearthed bank documents in Sweden which indicated that pay-offs had been made to officials and politicians involved in the purchase of Bofors field guns for the Indian army. That investigation helped shorten the political career of then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The difference between the Bofors investigation and this one illustrates the power of the Internet. While the impact of the Bofors investigation took a long time to percolate through the country, this latest expose has had an immediate impact. It is not difficult to see why. Anyone with access to the Web can watch videos of politicians, government officials and army officers demanding money to expedite a defense deal.

This makes it almost impossible for those involved to wriggle out. While it is possible to argue that someone has been misquoted or misrepresented in a news report, it is far more difficult to deny video and audio evidence that is up on a Web site.

Which is why Bharatiya Janata Party president Bangaru Laxman chose to resign (while protesting his innocence) rather than take the traditional route of denying all involvement.

While the new medium has increased the impact of investigative journalism, the two reporters involved still needed the traditional skills of patience, persistence and determination to collect their evidence. It took them eight months posing as arms dealers and secretly recording corrupt officials to complete their story.

The results affirm the value of a free press. At a time when questions are being asked about the future of the Internet, it also shows that "dotcom journalism is alive and thriving", as Aniruddha Bahal, the journalist who led the investigation, put it.

-- The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong