Kunal Majumder

Kunal Majumder
Born	Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India
Alma mater	De Nobili School, FRI, Jamia Millia Islamia, Sciences Po, University of Michigan
Occupation(s)	Journalist, academic
Organization	Committee to Protect Journalists

Kunal Majumder is an Indian journalist and media academic. His areas of work include press freedom and journalist safety, serving as India's representative at the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Majumder has worked as a journalist with Tehelka, Indian Express Group, Rajasthan Patrika Group and Zee Media Corporation. He later served as a visiting faculty member at the AJK Mass Communication Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

He has been honoured with the UNFPA–Laadli Award for Gender Sensitivity and the Statesman Award for Rural Reporting. He is also a recipient of the Knight-Wallace Fellowship for journalists at the University of Michigan for 2024–2025. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Education

Born and raised in Dhanbad, Jharkhand (then part of Bihar), Majumder studied at the Jesuit-run De Nobili School, FRI, Dhanbad. ^[4] He graduated with a degree in English literature, History and Political Science in 2007, and obtained a postgraduate degree in Journalism from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, in 2009. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

As part of his master's programme, he completed a journalism exchange semester at Sciences Po, Paris, and represented India at the Foreign Correspondents' Programme in Helsinki. ^[7]

Career

Journalism

Majumder began his journalism career in 2009 as a business correspondent at Tehelka. He later served as senior correspondent, principal correspondent, and assistant editor at the magazine. ^{[8] [9] [10]}

In 2014, he joined Rajasthan Patrika and contributed to its English news platform, Catch News. ^{[10] [11] [6]} He subsequently worked with Zee Media Corporation for its online portal DNA. ^{[12] [13]}

In October 2016, he was appointed editor of inUth.com, a multi-platform, video-focused digital initiative launched by The Indian Express Group. ^{[14] [15]}

Subsequently, he joined the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) as a correspondent, where he documented cases related to press freedom in India. Since 2022, he has been serving as the organisation’s India Representative. ^{[16] [17] [7]}

Academia

In January 2021, Majumder joined the AJK Mass Communication Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, as visiting faculty. He also served as an adjunct professor at the Haridev Joshi University of Journalism and Mass Communication, Rajasthan. ^{[5] [18]}

In April 2025, he delivered a TEDx talk at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor titled "Why Press Freedom Is at the Root of All Rights", in which he highlighted the foundational role of free expression in sustaining democratic societies. ^{[19] [20] [21]}

Work

Majumder has been associated with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) since June 2018, where his work has focused on promoting press freedom and defending the rights of journalists. ^[22]

At CPJ, he has monitored restrictions on journalists' rights in India, making press freedom a key area of concern. His commentary and reporting on the repeated arrests of journalists in Kashmir during 2024 have been cited internationally in discussions on global press freedom. ^{[17] [23] [24] [25]}

He has also advocated for the safety of journalists at the ground level in India in interactions with state authorities. ^[26] In 2024, under his leadership, CPJ in collaboration with The Hindu launched a safety guide for journalists covering the Lok Sabha elections. ^[27]

See also

• Committee to Protect Journalists
• Reporters Without Borders
• Index of Freedom in the World
• Mass media in India

References

1. "Meet 2024–2025 Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellows". Wallace House Center for Journalists. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
2. "Alumnus from India selected for prestigious fellowship". European Union. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
3. "Q&A with Knight-Wallace Fellow". Center for South Asian Studies. Archived from the original on 20 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
4. "Kunal to take on Finland at FCP 2008". Finland in India. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
5. "Haridev Joshi University". hju.ac.in. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
6. "Meet 2024–2025 Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellows". Wallace House Center for Journalists. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
7. "Our People". Committee to Protect Journalists. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
8. "Kunal Majumder". Tehelka. 25 July 2024.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
9. "'Media houses are sitting on plots leased at Re 1'". IJR. 21 November 2010. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
10. Johari, Sneha (18 May 2015). "The Patrika Group to launch English news website called Catch News". Medianama. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
11. "Kunal Majumder". Catch News. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
12. "Kunal Majumder | DNA India". DNA India. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
13. Saikia, Arunabh (11 July 2014). "DNA does it again". Newslaundry. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
14. "Indian Express Group announces the launch of 'InUth.com'". The Indian Express. 10 October 2016. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
15. Majumder, Kunal. "Kunal Majumder, Author at InUth". InUth. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
16. "Harassment against journalists in India has escalated: N. Ram". The Hindu. 10 October 2022. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
17. "Kashmir: Asif Sultan, the journalist caught in 'revolving door' of arrests". 11 March 2024. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
18. "Meet 2024–2025 Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellows". Wallace House Center for Journalists. Archived from the original on 24 June 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
19. "Why Press Freedom Is at the Root of All Rights – TEDxUofM 2025". Wallace House Center for Journalists YouTube channel. April 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
20. "TEDxUofM 2025". University of Michigan Events Calendar. 3 April 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
21. "Knight-Wallace Fellow Kunāl Majumder to Speak at TEDxUofM 2025". Center for South Asian Studies, University of Michigan. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
22. "What We Do". Committee to Protect Journalists. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
23. "Indian court grants bail to Kashmiri journalist after years in jail". Dawn. AFP. 15 May 2024. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
24. "Kashmir journalist Asif Sultan gets bail over two months after re-arrest under PSA". Newslaundry. 15 May 2024. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
25. Yousuf, Kamran (12 August 2024). "India's volatile Kashmir feels sting of media crackdown". Nikkei Asia. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
26. "Indian journalist Jyotiranjan Mohapatra attacked with sword in Bhubaneswar". Committee to Protect Journalists. 23 February 2024. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
27. "Safety guide launched for journalists covering Lok Sabha elections". The Hindu. 8 March 2024. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.