Free Press in Malayalam
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Free Press was a short-lived but well-attempted and widely-circulated magazine in Malayalam language. Funded 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 Malayalam published from Delhi, targeting the Malayalis in Kerala and the Malayali diaspora in other Indian states and abroad. It was founded by Vinod Jose, while working as a foreign correspondent in South Asia for the US based Pacifica Radio. Free Press was a registered magazine with the Registrar of Newspapers in India (RNI) and on an average sold 55,000 copies. Without spending any money on advertisement, Free Press gained the circulation through word-of-mouth campaign and campaign-drives in remote areas. Along with thousands of readers on its side, Free Press managed to get on board an impressive battalion of brand ambassadors, and they included, teachers to banana merchants and Malayali jawans in Kashmir to prison inmates in Kannur Cetral Prison--a demography that any true dreamers of a free, fair, fearless, independent, accountable press would have.
Free Press investigations included: Reliance corporation and its contribution to India's black economy, fake-encounter epidemic by Delhi Police, Intel meddling with the school curriculum in Kerala, industrialists "buying" rivers in Kerala, sex scandal of a Muslim League minister in Kerala. And the result was quick. Its office was raided. Editor Jose was interrogated. Reporters were harassed. Distribution system was destroyed. Printing presses in Delhi were forced to back off. Free Press in 2005 was forced out of newsstands after a series of harassment.
In May 2005, Vinod K. Jose, Editor-in-Chief; V.H. Nishad, Literary Editor; Shaijith V.M., Principal Correspondent declared in a public announcement that the magazine could not sustain itself anymore and declared its closure. At 24, when he edited Free Press, Vinod K. Jose became the youngest Editor-in-Chief of any current affairs registered media organisation in India. Free Press was the first publication to have intiated the concept of Citizen Journalism in Kerala.
The list of names Free Press put out to acknowledge for the solidarity it received: Binjo Vango, A. K. Varun, Varkey Kadiyinkal, Raaid Mukkolakkal, A.K. Antony, V. S. Achuthanandan, M. Mukundan, Parasaran P.M., Arundhati Roy, S. Ajay Kumar, Satish Pappion, Tarun Tejpal, Binoy T. Devasia, A.K. Varun, J.Unni, Maimoona Parveen, Dilip Poolakkot, N.G. Nayanathara, K.P. Zubair, Binu Kumar R, Kekhrie Yhome, Ajay Panikkar, Basharat Peer, Deepti, Maya Vinod, Shamsuddin Kuttoth, Ajeshan Dasan, Sunil N., Riya, Abdul Salam, Mujeeb Rahman, Dolly, K. Haridas, Sarat Sasi, Rajesh Kumar B.M., Rajasekharan, Aparna Nair, Ansir E.K., Mushurud Hussain, Vijesh O., Agin, Ajaykumar, Wilson P. Malayil, Sanju Purakkal, Jayachandran, Anil Kurup, Babu K., Rona Wilson, A.F. Mathew, K.K. Surendran, Nithanth L. Raj, K.N. Asokan, Elizabeth, Himanshu Upadhyay, Harish Kalakar, Johnson, Jayettan, Poonam, Kumar Sanjay Singh, Rennis, Solgy Kottaram, Sasi Chamoli, Sadanand Menon, Sederic, Veena G. Nair, Jacob Abraham, Aatmaja, G.S. Subha, Vinod Krishna, Susmita, Savior Vatakkekkara, M.N. Sanal, Biju Joseph, Joseph K. Job, George Joseph, C.K. Viswanath, Arun J, Nuiman, Haseeb Rahman, Muse Mary, P.M. Girish, A.S.Kumar, K.E.N. Kunjahammad, E.P.Rajagopalan, Jayanth Maman Mathew, Sumayya, Jatinder Sing, D.Vinayachandran, Ummar Tharamel, Savija, C.R.Neelakandan, Shabil Krishnan, Ann, Francis Njallampuzha, Jose, Thomas Jacob, K.M.Roy, George Baby, Regi C.J., Aneej Anand, E.P. Unni, S.A.R. Geelani, Ruivah Mayori, Rajeev G. Idava, John Brittas, P. Govinda Pillai, Rashmi Binoy, Dhanya Raj, Lopa R., Sanjay Kak, Sujitkumar, Miranda Kennedy, Mathew Power, Aaron Glantz, Rathi, Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Sucheta Dalal, Paranjoy Guha Takurta, Arun Kumar, M. Nujum, Shyam Murali, K. Pradip, Biju P., Amit Sengupta, P.V.Shajikumar, Biju Kanjangad, K. Sureshkumar, varavara Rao, Deljit Amy, Sheeja Vakkam, Aradhana K.V., Ifthikar Geelani, Randeep Ramesh, Divya R.G., Santosh, John, Iyya Valapattanam, C.S. Chandrika, Meenakshi Thampan, K. Ajita, P.A. Pauran, Sarah Joseph, K.V.M. Sidhique, Benny Kurian, Abhay V. Abhay.
