The Mooknayak

Not to be confused with Mooknayak, the newspaper founded by B. R. Ambedkar in 1920.
The Mooknayak
Available in2 languages
List of languages
English, Hindi
Founded2021; 3 years ago (2021)
Country of originIndia
Founder(s)Meena Kotwal
URLwww.themooknayak.com

The Mooknayak is an online news website founded in 2021 that focuses on social justice for Dalits and marginalized communities.[1][2][3] Its name, which means 'the leader of the voiceless' honors the Mooknayak newspaper founded by Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar in 1920 and reflects the work of its founder, Dalit journalist Meena Kotwal.[4][5][6]

The Mooknayak covers stories related to Dalits and other marginalized groups in India.[5][7][8] Kotwal has described it as "a Dalit-centred newsroom."[6]

Kotwal founded the online version of The Mooknayak in 2021,[1] and by 2023, the organization employed 15 journalists, including 9 full-time.[6] News articles are written in English and Hindi, and journalists produce videos for the associated YouTube channel.[9] By March 2023, the YouTube channel had 50,000 subscribers.[1]

The Mooknayak online news outlet is crowdfunded and has received approximately $12,000 from the Google News Initiative and around $6,000 from a YouTube training program.[5][6]

  1. ^ a b c "Dalit journalist takes aim at changing history with stories of India's marginalized". Arab News. 15 Mar 2023. Retrieved 7 Apr 2023.
  2. ^ Singh, Stuti Paul (23 Feb 2023). "FII Interviews: Journalist Meena Kotwal On Minority Politics, Journalism Today And The Caste Divide". Feminism in India. Retrieved 7 Apr 2023.
  3. ^ Team, N. L. "UN rights experts write to govt about inaction over threats to Mooknayak founder". Newslaundry. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  4. ^ Kotwal, Meena (27 May 2022). "Keeping Ambedkar's Legacy Alive, One Story At A Time". Outlook. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Singh, Karan Deep (March 6, 2023). "With Stories of Her Oppressed Community, a Journalist Takes Aim at the Walls of Caste". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Sharma, Saurabh (February 13, 2023). "'Leading the voiceless' - how low-caste Indian journalists are crowdfunding their own newsrooms". Al Jazeera Journalism Review. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  7. ^ Lal, Neeta (22 September 2021). "In India, calls for a caste census grow as more seek to benefit from affirmative action policies". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  8. ^ Pasricha, Anjana (6 December 2023). "In India, News Outlet Gives Voice to Low Castes". Voice of America. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  9. ^ Bhat, Adil (29 June 2023). "India: Dalit journalists give a voice to the marginalized – DW – 06/29/2023". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 6 February 2024.