A JOURNAL OF THE PRESS INSTITUTE OF INDIA ISSN 0042-5303 January-March 2019 Volume 11 Issue 1 Rs 60 Time to bust the fake, CONTENTS • A new year – and still waiting for acche din / Sakuntala Narasimhan move away from TRPs • Scars heal faster if we show more sensitivity / Sudha Umashanker News journalism is in the midst of a crisis, says N. Bhaskara Rao. • ‘I am an Indian woman’ / And yet, we continue talk about symptoms than the root causes, Sangeetha Shinde he adds. More than twenty years ago, Rao signalled the twist • Where are women’s voices in and shift within the journalism paradigm, even cautioning the television debates? / unions and associations of working journalists that they were Rina Mukherji going to be the worst affected. Today, journalists world over • The world is in danger – is the face threat, harassment and risk to life. The trend is to muzzle media listening? / Bharat Dogra independent journalism and investigative reportage, which is • Is the ‘hate plastic’ campaign already shrinking anyway, he points out necessary or viable? / N.S. Venkataraman e are today at a point when for the news media it is no longer the • Who said the newspaper reading journalist who matters. Indeed, the profession itself may no lon- habit is dying? / Nava Thakuria ger count as it did some years ago. Yesterday's schools of jour- W • A man of many parts, he stayed nalism are today's school of communication, which means more of corpo- clear of politics / Mrinal Chatterjee rate communication and public relations. Journalists exist today only to • Heart-wrenching portraits of the extent he or she has adjusted and adapted to changed priorities in the displacement / Ranjita Biswas media and alignments outside. • Mainstream cinema enters Nevertheless, it is time to introspect. First, the context of journalism and academia – Calcutta University journalists. Here, let us look at three aspects – freedom of the press, what it scores a first / Shoma A. Chatterji means today and who decides. It is the government and the corporates who • Is he India’s greatest decide the scope of press freedom today, not so much the Constitution of sportsperson ever? / the country. Second, is journalism a job or profession? If it is a profession, Partab Ramchand with what standards and self regulation? Third is the human development • A blend of ethnic heritage, tourism angle. Unless this larger context is understood, the deep malice troubling and ‘big data’ / Sarita Brara journalism cannot be addressed. • A small town wears old-fashioned A second factor for the paradigm shift is the conflict of interest (reflected politeness on its sleeve / in many spheres of activity). Of late, this important aspect is being ignored Pushpa Iyengar or brushed under carpet. This has to do with the fundamental question – is • Remembering Mrinal Sen / news media a service or a business or both and with what restrains or under Nirendranath Chakraborty / what regulatory jurisdiction. It is a lobby of the powerful which decides Alyque Padamsee / Iravatham Mahadevan / Kader Khan / what matters. This is also because journalists are cornered, divided, with S. Viswanathan / Kalpana Lajmi some of them hankering for individual advantages and producing stories without substantiating facts and figures. We don’t see them any longer as a community of professionals or as critical stakeholders in society. (Continued on page 3) January-March 2019 VIDURA 1 FROM THE EDITOR No bias please, we need balance ith general elections com- of press freedom today, not so much they've only got worse. As Sakun- ing up in India, it is poli- the Constitution of the land; it is a tala Narasimhan asks, are we worse Wtics all the way. Politics lobby of the powerful which decides than animals, then, that we keep is often a dirty game and, today, what matters, Rao points out. With hearing of sickening gang rapes we seem to have plumbed new objectivity and independence giving from around the country, with the depths – politicians who are sup- way to manipulation, influence and victim sometimes no more than a posed to show the way, use words quick profits, the journalist has lost mere child? What can we as a soci- that shouldn’t be used, belittle out, Rao is convinced. He refers to ety really do? Narasimhan feels opponents in the most unsavoury the “TRP mania” that has “misled a elders, family members, teachers, manner and castigate them vehe- nation”. The onus is on journalists community leaders can help. Focus mently. There is a sense of hatred to retrieve what has been lost. Some in particular on boys, she says – everywhere. You can be treated independent-minded, courageous girls seem far more empowered. like an outcast even if you happen editors and journalists are indeed Senior journalist Sudha Umashan- to have a balanced view. Which is trying to do that, but whether their kar says women choose to simply what journalists ought to have – a efforts will be successful, we will struggle in silence. So, how do balanced view at all times, never have to wait and see. wounds heal when there is just no wearing political affiliation on the support? We know how difficult it sleeve. I have been frankly aston- ******************** is for a woman to stand up and fight ished at how some senior members the system. For a torchlight view of of the profession throw balance to Achhe din (good days) – now, that what Indian women go through the wind in blind admiration for a is something we have been hearing every moment of their lives, please particular person and party. Also, over the past five years. But achhe read Sangeetha Shinde’s absolute what those who engage in never- din for how many? Veteran Sakun- gem. The words resonate: ending discussions via email and tala Narasimhan’s story about a I have no voice, my power has been social media fail to realise is the fact cobbler, the sole earning member of stripped from me by an inhuman social that the people who vote are only his family, gives us an idea of what code and I have no recourse to jus- concerned about the bread-and- the poor in our county still undergo. tice. A financial burden to the family... butter issues of politics – two square His sister needs to stay at home to Not deserving of nutrition or a decent meals a day, housing, employment, look after the sick mother. He has education…. taxation, etc. To assume we (arm- become grey-haired and haggard- Read also Rina Mukherji’s piece chair critics, if you like) know far looking even as he continues to wait about how women’s voices and better than what they do is nonsen- by the roadside, to polish shoes and opinions are seldom heard, in spite sical. earn some money. He and his neph- of them making up half the popula- The media, itself, is responsible ews sit and watch shops at the mall tion of India. Their opinions invari- for creating perceptions that are not across the road being decked up for ably tend to be shouted down in a true. Facing the challenges posed the New Year. The achhe din that suc- sea of male voices. by fake news isn’t easy. The need cessive governments have promised Here’s wishing all of you a Very for journalists to establish credibil- have passed them by, as they have Happy New Year! ity is paramount. Bhaskara Rao, millions of similar poor in India. founder, Centre for Media Studies, New Delhi, in this issue, says it is ******************** Sashi Nair no longer the journalist who mat- [email protected] ters and that the profession itself Sexual harassment, women abuse, may no longer count as it did some molestation, rape… we must have years ago. It is the government and thought that after Nirbhaya things the corporates who decide the scope would get better. But they haven’t; 2 VIDURA January-March 2019 Illustration: Arun Ramkumar Illustration: (Continued from page 1) websites, voices supporting the pro- be on larger issues within the media A third factor is the way journal- fession. The research is for numbers. and outside. Two – take to research ists have slipped as a credible force. Those who have 'clicked' matter, not and analysis. Substantiate with facts Despite the Wage Board, issues con- necessarily those who have read. A and figures what is being pursued. cerning journalists were never taken good example of making a difference Avoid the allusive style of writing. up at a macro level in a systematic is about how the Andhra Pradesh Three – professional objectivity must way, resulting in fake, planted news Union of Journalists brought the be visible. Be cautious and concerned and compulsions of new media paid news phenomena to the fore. while using words such as activism, becoming routine. With objectivity The need is for more such studies conspiracy, Dalit, etc and while cov- and independence giving way to and initiatives. ering fake, false and planted stories. manipulation, influence and quick The task is challenging. It is a Four – while reporting, use anec- profits, the journalist has lost out. national task. Journalists themselves dotes, humour, analogies. Bust, blast That is the challenge independent should come forward; no one else and black out the false and fake. And and objective voices are facing is going to come to risk to retrieve five – cover citizen and civil society world over. journalism. The unions and asso- and the basic concerns of grassroots And, a fourth factor is decay of ciations should come together, and far more. Move away from the TRP< instruments and institutions of a take to analysis with transparency priority frame.