‘In this clickbait-driven era, mainstream media has become spineless’
- May 29
- 6 min read
All of us salute the journalists of Gaza who continue to do their duty despite threats to their lives. I think last year’s Nobel Peace Prize – not that it has any value apart from the attached money – should have been awarded to the journalists of Gaza.
Interview with Editor Binu Mathew, Countercurrents
Founded on March 27, 2002, Countercurrents.org has completed 24 years, growing into a globally read platform where writers from across the world contribute and diverse voices find space. The success of this alternative yet critically engaged news portal owes much to the unwavering commitment of its editor, who, with the support of a few close friends, has sustained it for over two decades, providing news and perspectives from the people’s viewpoint despite very limited resources. The editor’s dedication is remarkable – working tirelessly every day, from early morning until late at night, year after year, to keep this vital and prestigious legacy media alive. The following is the text of an email interview with Editor Binu Mathew, conducted in the first week of April 2026 by Abhay Kumar.
Congratulations to you and your team for successfully running Countercurrents.org for the past 24 years, despite very limited resources. Is it more difficult to manage today than when it was started nearly two-and-a-half-decades ago, or has it become relatively easier with the advancement of technological tools and the gradual building of a support system?
Binu Mathew (BM): When Countercurrents was launched in 2002, many of the technologies available today did not exist. Platforms like Blogger and WordPress had not yet been created. Content management systems were so expensive that a small website like Countercurrents could not afford them. So, we used a basic HTML page to run the website for many years. It moved to a WordPress-based content management system only in 2016, as smartphones were increasingly being used to access websites.
We had to change – and we did.
Another challenge when we started was news dissemination. Social media had not yet emerged. The only way to reach a wider audience was through email and newsletters.
Today, there are numerous social media platforms, but their algorithms control the flow of news – especially for a website like Countercurrents, which publishes alternative views that are not favoured in this clickbait-driven era.
We have over a hundred thousand followers across social media platforms; however, the traffic these platforms bring to the website is negligible. CC [Countercurrents] still relies on the traditional method of newsletters to reach its core audience.
Interestingly, the latest entrant in the publishing space that is gaining popularity – Substack – is based on the newsletter model; in fact, they describe themselves as a newsletter platform. It seems we have come full circle.
As for your question about whether things have become easier – yes, the technology has improved significantly. Updating the site is now much easier. However, it also brings new challenges. It has made it easier for hackers to target websites through hacking or DDoS attacks. We have to remain very vigilant about web security.
CC has been hacked twice: in the first attack, we lost many images; in the second, we lost a significant number of articles. Since then, we have strengthened our web security and now have a very capable team supporting CC.
How has your experience of running the news portal been in the last couple of years? Is it true that Countercurrents.org is now publishing more stories than it did earlier and that the network of writers and contributors has expanded across the world? What kind of response are you receiving from readers?
BM: The last few years have been monumental as far as news is concerned. The October 7 the attack by Hamas and the genocidal reprisal by Israel on Gaza, the election of Donald Trump, the on-going civil war in Sudan, the collapse of the Assad government in Syria, the attack on Iran, the warming of our planet breaking records year after year, ecological collapse, increasing inequality of wealth, and what experts call the convergence of poly-crisis are all unprecedented for the world.
With the increasing compromise – and even collusion – of the mainstream media, more and more people are turning to alternative websites like Countercurrents to read news and express their ideas. This has, of course, increased both the number of articles that CC receives every day and the number of readers. I now publish between 25–30 articles daily, up from an average of around 15 earlier. Progressive writers from around the world are coming forward to write for CC.
Yes, it has increased my workload, but I’m happy about it.
There are thousands of State-sponsored media houses and hundreds of so-called alternative elite media platforms that also accept funding and advertisements, often compromising, to some extent, their editorial independence. In such a situation, how would you define your editorial policy?
BM: Countercurrents is funded solely by the contributions of our readers. We do not carry advertisements or accept NGO grants, and this gives us editorial independence. Our focus is on bringing justice, peace, and dignity to all inhabitants of this planet – not just humans. We stand for progressive ideals and do not water down our editorial policy.
As you enter the 25th year of running the website, what are your future plans for Countercurrents.org? In your view, what more can be done to make the news website even more relevant to contemporary needs?
BM: Our future plan is to continue doing the same work for as long as we can. We have already published more than 90,000 articles. It is a living archive of resistance from around the world.
I believe the responsibility of Countercurrents is to record and archive the numerous resistance, peace, justice, climate, and environmental movements happening globally. Using our material, others can create whatever content they choose – such as videos, infographics, or multimedia.
Yes, if CC can scale, we could do many of these things ourselves. For that, we need funds, but I am not willing to dilute our editorial policy for funding. So, I will continue to do what I can, for as long as I can, within my capacity. It is the responsibility of others to take it forward, if they believe my work is important.
In recent years, we have witnessed the tragic reality of nation-states fighting each other and causing widespread violence. At such a critical juncture, how should a journalist act in order to serve as an ambassador of peace and humanity?
BM: What we saw in Gaza was not nation-states fighting each other, but a cruel genocide of a helpless people – and it is still on-going despite the so-called “ceasefire”. Now, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese have been displaced by the Israeli invasion. Around 250 journalists, or more, were killed in Gaza alone. The other day, three Lebanese journalists were killed when their car was bombed by Israeli forces in Lebanon.
All of us salute the journalists of Gaza who continue to do their duty despite threats to their lives. I think last year’s Nobel Peace Prize – not that it has any value apart from the attached money – should have been awarded to the journalists of Gaza.
During times of war, fake news seems to travel faster than fighter jets. The spread of misinformation is sometimes even justified on the grounds that such narratives are necessary to instil fear in “enemy” countries. How far do you agree with this logic? Or do you believe that journalists should never compromise their ethical standards, even during times of national crisis?
BM: Yes, it is the duty of journalists to speak the truth – not only journalists, but everyone. The best example of this are the journalists of Gaza.
When you look at the national media in India – both print and electronic – what are the important issues that you feel are being ignored or bypassed by mainstream journalists?
BM: I find that the mainstream media in India has become spineless. I consider the former editor of The Telegraph, Kolkata, to be the last editor who stood up to the system – and he lost his job too.
Climate change is a huge issue that is intensifying every day and will have a significant impact on everyone’s lives in the near future, yet I find its coverage very inadequate, negligent, or even absent.
Growing wealth inequality is another major issue that could affect our future, but nobody is talking about it. Everybody knows how the mainstream media treats Narendra Modi and his government.
Do you agree with the growing perception that mainstream Indian media has failed to set a benchmark, despite having ample resources, talent, and the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression for every citizen?
BM: Yes, absolutely.
How do you unwind yourself to keep fresh for the next day, next month and next year’s work?
BM: I listen to music a lot, watch world cinema, go for walks, and work out at the gym in the evening. I am basically a farmer, and I have a farmer’s worldview. I have a small farm in the hills where I grow avocado, jackfruits, nutmeg, black pepper, coffee, ginger, and more. Whenever I get the opportunity, I go to my farm. Seeing the saplings grow is a therapeutic experience for me, and it keeps my hopes alive.
Courtesy Radiance News