New York Times’ job ad has some critical remarks about India and its government

An advertisement by the New York Times stating the requirement of an experienced journalist to lead economic and business coverage of India has several critical remarks about the country and its government.

The American daily has called the border tension between India and China a ”drama”, where thousands of soldiers have been facing off since April on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), or the de facto border, including at the glacial Pangong Tso lake.

A clash had erupted in the Galwan Valley in June when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the first combat losses on the disputed border in more than four decades. 

India and China fought a war in 1962 and the border remains undefined. India said Chinese troops had intruded deep into its side of the LAC last April, triggering the most serious stand-offs in decades.

Calling India a ”melting pot of people and languages grappling with difficult questions of class and wealth disparity”, NYT’s job description claims that hundreds of millions of people are struggling for a better life for their children, and India’s once fast-growing economy is showing signs of stalling.

Talking about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, NYT says, ”India’s future now stands at a crossroads” as the leader’s vision puts him at ”odds with the interfaith, multicultural goals of modern India’s founders.”

The advertisement says technology has become a ”hindrance” due to the Indian government’s growing efforts to ”police online speech and media discourse have raised difficult questions about balancing issues of security and privacy with free speech.”

The position includes coverage of India’s neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives.