Aarti Betigeri
![Aarti Betigeri](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/aarti.jpeg)
Biography
Publications
Aarti Betigeri is a multi-platform journalist and former foreign correspondent based in Canberra. She is a correspondent for Monocle and contributes to various other local and foreign media outlets. She recently returned to Australia after almost a decade in India, where she reported across South Asia for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, the Christian Science Monitor, Public Radio International, and many others. She has interviewed three world leaders and worked on major investigative journalism initiatives including an ABC Foreign Correspondent documentary on international surrogacy. Prior to moving to India, she was a television news journalist and presenter with the ABC and SBS.
![The bad news for press freedom in India](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/GettyImages-1145735247.jpg?itok=DupR6w5A)
The bad news for press freedom in India
Fears of arrest, or worse, have spilled over into widespread self-censorship despite a burgeoning media landscape.
![Young, energised, ready to vote, and maybe decide two elections](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/GettyImages-1136452261.jpg?itok=Ba6kkUsC)
Young, energised, ready to vote, and maybe decide two elections
In both India and Australia, two very different campaigns are united in an effort to woo the growing youth vote.
![The remarkable political influence of the Indian diaspora in the US](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/GettyImages-926981556.jpg?itok=zcKdrB-o)
The remarkable political influence of the Indian diaspora in the US
And what the experience and example might hold for a growing South Asian community in countries such as Australia.
![India: never quite in focus](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/karthik-chandran-538960-unsplash.jpg?itok=DbUeaQuL)
India: never quite in focus
India deserves sustained closer scrutiny, but with Australian media groups shuttering bureaux, attention is fleeting.
![Unrest in India as it prepares for the world’s biggest election](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/GettyImages-603128534%20copy.jpg?itok=_QXLdOlE)
Unrest in India as it prepares for the world’s biggest election
Unemployment woes, unhappy farmers, and new faces in the game see Modi turn on his populist charm in an attempt to woo.
![Choking point: India’s environmental crisis](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/GettyImages-1076576068%20copy.jpg?itok=-VFFJsvg)
Choking point: India’s environmental crisis
The country performs very badly on almost all metrics in protecting its environment, even with small strides forward.
![How Australia should deepen ties with India](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/photo-1504244648668-89000185ea9b.jpeg?itok=eEMT5tjG)
How Australia should deepen ties with India
From Kohli to coal exports, Australia is reconsidering India’s potential as a key economic and geopolitical partner.
![The growing attention on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/Andaman.jpg?itok=_T8sgvrN)
The growing attention on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
New Delhi has been increasing its military presence in recognition of the islands’ strategic value.
![Facebook deploys a “War Room” ahead of India’s elections](https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/styles/expert_publications/public/10140336053_f1884c6d0e_k.jpg?itok=IgNKUyrk)
Facebook deploys a “War Room” ahead of India’s elections
If 2014 was India’s first social media election, interference shapes as a potential threat to the second in 2019.