''Free Press'' was a short-lived but well-attempted and widely circulated, monthly

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

language published from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

between 2003 and 2006. At 23, Vinod K. Jose became one of the youngest editors-in-chief of any current affairs registered magazine in India when he started ''Free Press''. ''Free Press'' was the first publication to have initiated the concept of

citizen journalism Citizen journalism, also known as collaborative media, participatory journalism, democratic journalism, guerrilla journalism or street journalism, is based upon public citizens "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, a ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. ''Free Press'' was founded by Vinod Jose, while working as a foreign correspondent in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

based

Pacifica Radio Pacifica may refer to: Art * ''Pacifica'' (statue), a 1938 statue by Ralph Stackpole for the Golden Gate International Exposition Places * Pacifica, California, a city in the United States ** Pacifica Pier, a fishing pier * Pacifica, a conceiv ...

. Funding itself on readers' contribution, ''Free Press'' exhibited the idealism of a group of twenty young journalists, who came together to publish an investigative, non-partisan monthly in

published from

, targeting the

Malayalis The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. They are predomina ...

and the Malayali diaspora in other

Indian states India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

and abroad. ''Free Press'' was a registered magazine with the

Registrar of Newspapers for India Office of the Registrar of the Newspapers for India (official name), more popularly known as Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI), is a Government of India statutory body of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for the registration of ...

(RNI) and sold 55,000 copies every month. Without spending any money on advertisement, ''Free Press'' gained the circulation through word-of-mouth campaign and conducting smaller events in Kerala. ''Free Press'' investigations included: Reliance corporation and its contribution to India's black economy, fake-encounter epidemic by

Delhi Police The Delhi Police (DP) is the law enforcement agency for the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). Delhi Police comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India. In 2015, sanctioned strength of Delhi ...

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...

meddling with the school curriculum in Kerala, industrialists "buying" rivers in Kerala, sex scandal of a

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties Subcontinent ; British India *All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan. **Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...

minister in Kerala. And the result was quick. Its office was raided. The editor was interrogated. Reporters were harassed and the distribution system was destroyed. Printing presses in Delhi were forced to back off.For A Free Press
/ref> ''Free Press'' in 2005 was forced out of newsstands. In May 2006, Vinod K. Jose, editor-in-chief; V.H. Nishad, literary editor; V.M. Shaijith, the political editor declared in a public announcement that the magazine could not sustain itself anymore and declared its closure.

References

External links

Registrar of Newspapers in India (Vinod K. Jose's entry for the ''Free Press''Human Rights Kerala
2003 establishments in Delhi 2006 disestablishments in India Defunct magazines published in India Monthly magazines published in India News magazines published in India Malayalam-language magazines Magazines established in 2003 Magazines disestablished in 2006 Mass media in Kerala {{news-mag-stub