Journalists Battered and Rattled Across the Media Spectrum the COVID-19 Lockdown Has Battered and Bruised Journalists As Never Before
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A JOURNAL OF THE PRESS INSTITUTE OF INDIA ISSN 0042-5303 April-June 2020 Volume 12 Issue 2 Rs 60 Journalists battered and rattled across the media spectrum The COVID-19 lockdown has battered and bruised journalists as never before. Across India, editions of various newspapers CONTENTS have closed down. The sceptre of unemployment looms large • The novel coronavirus: in the Fourth Estate. Those holding on are facing hefty wage Lessons for us to learn / cuts. Something that has never before happened in the media Sakuntala Narasimhan world is happening now. Usha Rai has the story • Gender implications and challenges for community any journalists in India have been asked to go on furlough, or intervention / Vibhuti Patel • Adapting to behavioural leave without pay in many media establishments. In the North- change in the time of lockdown / Meast, a pregnant woman journalist, Ranjita Raha, working for Pradeep Krishnatray Prag News, has been shown the door because her publication has no rules • Lockdown blues – more lessons for maternity leave. for us to learn / B.S. Raghavan • What is life without sport? / All this is happening when, in the best traditions of the profession, Partab Ramchand journalists at great risk to their lives are going all out to report the pan- • Doordarshan, thank you for demic from the frontlines. They have trudged with migrants to report taking us down memory lane / their plight — their hunger, desolation and frustration as they walk, cycle Sayanika Dutta • Planet Earth’s doomsday clock hundreds of kilometres or hitch rides even in the belly of cement-mixing is ticking / Bharat Dogra vehicles to get home to their villages. • India’s Greta Thunbergs Journalists are on the streets of the worst hit slums of Dharavi and in speak out on climate change / COVID-19 hospitals to give a first person account of available infrastruc- N.S.Venkataraman • Newspapers in a tailspin, mobile ture, pressure on doctors, queues waiting to get admitted and bodies lined theatres see end of road / up for cremation. They are also travelling in trains with migrants and Nava Thakuria reporting from quarantine centres in villages of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. • Journalism, for him, was a In fact, many journalists are frontline corona warriors, no less than doc- tool for socio-political reform / Mrinal Chatterjee tors, health workers or the police. Four journalists have died in the line • Reflecting heart-wrenching of duty to coronavirus. In April, Aajkaal’s senior photojournalist Ronny stories of loss and longing / Roy, 57, is suspected to have died of the virus in Kolkata; on May 8, Pankaj Manjira Majumdar Kulshreshta, 57, deputy editor of a leading Hindi newspaper from Agra • Providing sustainable livelihood – a social enterprise shows the died of COVID- 19; in Mumbai Roshan Dias of TV-9 died on May 22; and way / Madhura Dutta in Delhi, Doordarshan’s senior camera person, Yogesh Kumar, died on • Remembering J.C. Jacob / Reboti May 28. Bhushan Ghosh / Gulshan Ewing / Ram Mohan / Nemai Ghosh / Ironically, mainstream media and edit pages are silent on the crisis con- Nimmi / Raju Bharatan / fronting journalists. Yet these same journalists were at the forefront to P.K. Banerjee / Chuni Goswami / Miss Shefali / Usha Ganguly / (Continued on page 3) Ranjit Chowdhry / Tapas Pal April-June 2020 VIDURA 1 FROM THE EDITOR A virus has publishers gasping for breath, journalists queasy ho would have ever worst hit slums of Dharavi and in to consider as per the law, a rep- thought that a micro- COVID-19 hospitals to travelling in resentation made by a petitioner Wscopic virus could bring trains with migrants and reporting seeking payment of compensation the world to its knees! The novel from quarantine centres in villages in case a journalist or media person- coronavirus outbreak came to light of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In fact, nel dies of the infection, The Hindu on December 31 last year when many journalists are frontline corona has reported. “... just like police, China informed the World Health warriors, no less than doctors, health doctors, nurses, government per- Organisation of a cluster of cases of workers or the police. Ironically, as sonnel and others who are carrying pneumonia of an unknown cause in Usha points out, mainstream media out essential duties, in the same Wuhan City in Hubei Province – an and edit pages are silent on the crisis way, journalists and other media augury for death and disaster that confronting journalists. personnel are on the field so as to nobody really knew would envelope The National Alliance for Journal- disseminate and convey correct the world and most of 2020, a dis- ists, the Delhi Union of Journalists information to citizens about the ease now called COVID-19 for which and the Brihanmumbai Union of impact of the pandemic and other there is no medicine or vaccine yet. Journalists jointly filed a PIL in the information from the world over,” The newspaper industry has been Supreme Court on April 16, chal- the court observed. The petitioner battling hard against the odds, pro- lenging the job loss and wage cuts had given representation for pay- ducing the newspaper and trying to in the media. The PIL points out that ing compensation of ₹ 50 lakh to the get it through to readers. But with layoffs and salary cuts have been kin of a mediaperson who dies of a virtual collapse in the advertising effected during the lockdown to deal COVID-19 on the lines of provision market and many readers choosing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The made for healthcare personnel. to keep away from the printed paper, PIL has asked the Union Govern- The Bench also observed that the challenges facing news publish- ment, the Indian Newspaper Society “journalists… face immense chal- ing houses are immense. and the News Broadcasters Associa- lenges in times such as the current So much so that across India, tion to ensure that media employers pandemic as they expose them- editions of various newspapers do not misuse the lockdown for such selves to the risk of being infected have closed down. Unemployment arbitrary action against employees. even as they perform their duties on looms large. Those who have lost At the time of writing this, four the frontiers.” jobs may number in the thousands. journalists have died in the line Journalists at the frontlines now Those holding on are facing hefty of duty due to coronavirus, Usha have the challenge of providing wage cuts. Usha Rai mentions in her reports – in April, Aajkaal’s senior information that is useful, truthful, story (the lead) that many journal- photojournalist Ronny Roy, 57, complete, fast, accurate and commit- ists in India have been asked to go is suspected to have died of the ted to citizens and readers, listeners on furlough, or leave without pay in virus in Kolkata; on May 8, Pankaj or viewers. Perhaps never has the many media establishments. Indeed, Kulshreshta, 57, deputy editor of need for defending democratic val- the COVID-19 lockdown has bat- a leading Hindi newspaper from ues and stimulating solidarity and tered and bruised journalists as Agra died of COVID- 19; in Mumbai public awareness been greater. Jour- never before. She tells us how in the Roshan Dias of TV-9 died on May 22; nalists must now show the way. Northeast, a pregnant woman jour- and in Delhi, Doordarshan’s senior nalist was shown the door because camera person, Yogesh Kumar, died Sashi Nair her publication has no rules for on May 28. [email protected] maternity leave. All this is happen- Observing that the role of journal- ing when, in the best traditions of ists and media personnel can neither the profession, journalists at great be underestimated nor undermined risk to their lives are going all out during COVID-19 pandemic, the to report on the pandemic from the Karnataka High Court has directed frontlines – from the streets of the the Central and State governments 2 VIDURA April-June 2020 Illustration: Arun Ramkumar (Continued from page 1) be 30000, including journalists in and Employment and even the report labour laws being amended small town publications, stringers, Prime Minister appealing not to to squeeze longer hours of work freelance contributors, etc. retrench workers or impose wage out of workers for the ‘economy The National Alliance for Jour- cuts. The PIL sought suspension to revive’. Only News Laundry nalists, the Delhi Union of Journal- of all orders of termination, salary and Free Press Journal have writ- ists and the Brihanmumbai Union cuts or resignations sought by the ten about the difficulties faced by of Journalists jointly filed a PIL in employers during the lockdown. journalists and others working in the Supreme Court on April 16, However, the case has not yet come the media sector in April. The FPJ 2020 challenging the job loss and up for hearing and the blood bath report is titled ‘Blood bath amid wage cuts in the media. The PIL continues in the media. media lockdown’. points out that layoffs and salary Separately, on April 27, a joint let- It is difficult to estimate the cuts have been effected during the ter was written to the Prime Minis- exact number of journalists who lockdown to deal with the COVID- ter of India by the Press Association have lost jobs or faced massive 19 pandemic. The PIL has asked (an umbrella organisation of all salary cuts. It could well be over the Union Government, the Indian accredited journalists to the govern- 3500, if not more, since the pan- Newspaper Society and the News ment), Indian Journalists Union, the demic began and a lockdown was Broadcasters Association to ensure National Union of Journalists-India imposed.