“Social media has made journalists more powerful” Even as technology has lowered entry barriers to journalism, social media has given professional journalists the power Issue No.005 June 2018 to engage with the audience in never- before ways. This, according to Shekhar Gupta, veteran journalist and Editor-in- Chief of ThePrint, a Foundation Grantee, Mainstream media does not step has made journalists more powerful. into villages, says Meera Jatav undelkhand is known for two things rural women journalists in their teams. In a – drought and caste-based violence. conversation with IPSMF, Meera Jatav airs B This region, which comprises small her views on a range of issues. Below are districts spread across the states of Uttar excerpts from that conversation in the origi- Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, is plagued by nal Hindi: socio-economic backwardness. As a result of On women in journalism four consecutive years of drought and crop Below are ex- failure, combined with fewer jobs under रोगⴂ को रगता है, कक भहहरा कैसे ऩत्रकारयता cerpts from the MGNREGS, at least half the families have कय सकती हℂ। मह सभस्मा कोई नमी नह ॊ, interview: We are members who have migrated. It accounts for चरती आ यह है। ऩय रोगⴂ की सोच ह फन गई doing With entities a little over 30% of all the caste-based vio- थी कक ऩत्रकारयता भᴂ तो ऩझ셁ष ह होते हℂ। like ThePrint lence in इसलरए much that doing stories the coun- ऩत्रकाय की is edgy that the main- try and is ऩहचान stream media far from फनाने भᴂ, and it’s does not gender- अफ भℂ सपर working… touch, how do sensitive. हो गई ह ॉ। you create a खफयⴂ की presence? In this गझणवत्ता औय society ववशेष होने The challenge is to draw attention and steeped in के कायण create stickiness or reader loyalty in a patriarchy, अफ रोग हभᴂ heavily saturated market. If your content Meera 煍मादा जगह is distinct enough it is possible to do so. Jatav has देते हℂ औय made her voice heard. She is one of the first Social media has fundamentally खफयⴂ के लरए फरझ ात े हℂ। मह बी एक फात है reporters of Khabar Lahariya, since its in- changed the way news is con- कक, जजन भझददⴂ को अन्म भीडडमा कवय नह ॊ ception in 2002 and today its Chief Report- कयता, हभ उन खफयⴂ को प्राथलभकता देते हℂ, तो sumed. How has the response on er. Meera has seen Khabar Lahariya, an social media been, so far, for The- रोगⴂ के अॊदय एक ववश्वास फना है, कक हभ IPSMF Grantee, transition from an eight- Print? असर ऩत्रकाय हℂ। page local newspaper in Bundeli dialect to On mainstream media It‟s a fact that nobody goes to news any a video-only news platform run by an all- more. News has to come to you. Social women team. भेये औय अन्म भीडडमा भᴂ अगय अॊतय की फात media is, therefore, not just a vital tool, कयᴂ, तो फहत अॊतय है। भ ℂ सझनी सझनाई खफयⴂ ऩय According to Meera, working with Khabar झ but an essential vehicle. ThePrint has काभ नह ॊ कयती हॉ,खफयⴂ की जाचॉ ऩड़तार कयन े Lahariya gives her a sense of liberation and done brilliantly on social media, both के फाद ह कवय कयती हॉ । भ ℂ उन भझददⴂ को satisfaction. She cherishes her independence Twitter and Facebook. We have just be- अऩने चैनर भᴂ राती हॉ, जजनकी खफयᴂ कबी as a journalist which allows her to raise im- gun developing Instagram. अन्म भीडडमा नह ॊ लरखती है| भℂ जो काभ portant questions around policy-making, कयती हॉ, जभीनी स्तय ऩय कयती हॉ उन इराकⴂ Social media has replaced “serious governance and social issues in the region. की खफयᴂ जो कबी रोग जाते बी नह ॊ हⴂगे। news” with what is trending, going Initially, Meera was nervous about calling viral and creating a buzz. How does 煍मादातय भेनस्र भ भीडडमा गाॊव स्तय ऩय out people in power. But today, her job has ThePrint match up? काभ नह ॊ कयती है। अगय उनको कयवाना बी है instilled in her a sense of confidence and तो वह जजरे, तहसीर, ब्राक से जानकाय रेते It is true that everybody has to look at freedom to openly discuss issues that impact हℂ, गाॊव नह ॊ जाते हℂ| मा रोगⴂ से खफय रे Google trends before starting the day. So, the backward classes and women. As a jour- कय चराते हℂ | जो की खफय रहरयमा you align with that as much as possible nalist, she feels responsible towards the peo- के ऩत्रकाय खझद जा कय हय तयह की रयऩोहटिग but within the fundamental definition of ple as she and her colleagues continue to call कयते हℂ| अगय हभ अन्म भीडडमा की फात कये news value. ThePrint is doing much that out issues of poor infrastructure, economic की फझन्देरखण्ड जसै े इराके भᴂ ककतनी फाय गए is edgy, on politics as well as social issues backwardness, gender and caste bias. हⴂगे तो जीयो नॊफय कहॉगी। वह भझ े बी कहते हℂ and attitudes. Our growth is evidence She believes that the credibility and success की गाॊव क्मा कयेगी जा कय, हभ से खफय रे that it is working. of Khabar Lahariya’s journalists will com- कय फना र जजमे, जो भ ℂ कबी नह ॊ कयती ह ॉ| Continued on Page 2 pel every mainstream media house to recruit Continued on Page 2 June 2018 “There is a fine line, between truth In conversation with and half-truth” Meera Jatav Continued from Page 1 29-year old Prashanth Hulkodu is a strong believer in the independence of media which is On what makes news answerable only to the audience it serves. Yet, early on he realized that there was an inher- ent conflict between public-interest journalism and a media venture driven by profits. “In भℂने अबी हार भᴂ एक खफय की थी जो दलरत any media that is motivated by just profits, there cannot be a space ऩरयवाय जानवयⴂ के चभड़ा छिरने का काभ for public-interest journalism,” he says. Prashanth has launched कयते थे औय आज बी कझ ि रोग है जो कय यहे Samachara, a Kannada digital portal aimed at producing investi- है। ऩय उनको सभाज औय ऩरयवाय के रोग गरत कहते हℂ शाद भᴂ न शालभर कयना| इस gative stories and news analysis around topics of public interest. तयह की खफय को रोग कहते मह क्मा खफय Samachara operates in the not-for-profit space and is a Founda- है| जफ भैने इस खफय को ककमा तो हभाये tion Grantee. दशिकⴂ को इतनी 煍मादा मह खफय ऩसॊद आई Prashanth let-go of a comfortable salary in 2017 to launch his own की कयोड़ⴂ की सॊख्मा भᴂ रोगⴂ न े म ट मफ औय पे सफक भᴂ देखा औय शमे य ककमा| इसी तयह venture from scratch. “Without losing something, you can‟t gain झ सपाई कभी स े जझडी खफय बी भनै े की जो की something,” is the adage he lives by. सपाई का काभ कयवाने के लरए रोग जभादाय Starting out को ह फझराते है। ऩय जहाॊ नौकय लभर यह वहा ॉ ठाकझ य सहहत अन्म जाछतमा ॉ बी नौकय भᴂ रग े When he started out, Prashanth was surprised to see more than 3000 views for each of his है ऩय काभ के लरए आज बी जभादाय ऩरयवाय stories and realized that the readers had an appetite for good and unbiased content. He को ह फझराते हℂ। मह खफय बी कापी चर regularly writes stories questioning the state‟s political scions and religious mutts, taboo मह तो एक दो उदाहयण है खफय का | subjects for some mainstream media. “We have faced a lot of online abuses. However, at On future of Khabar Lahariya one point when we stood our ground, people stopped trolling us,” he said. भै चाहती ह ॉ खफय रहरयमा अऩना ऩयचभ Importance of being independent स्वतॊत्र, ववश्वसनीम औय नाय वाद भीडडमा के 셂ऩ भᴂ देश के हय जिरे भᴂ रहयाए। गहयाई “I am not saying that Samachara alone can make a difference. Karnataka is known for its वार खफयᴂ औय कामिक्रभ हभ हभेशातैमाय कयᴂ, alternative thinking on different topics. There is also alternative thinking in the field of जजसभᴂ कोई याजनीछतक दखर न हो। हय जिरे journalism. Samachara is trying to create a new model not only with content, but also भᴂ खफय रहरयमा की भहहरा ऩत्रकाय भौज द हⴂ गﴂwith its business. If one person can make a difference by working independently, imagine जो रोकर स्तय की गहयाई वार रयऩोहट the impact 50 independent journalists can achieve,” he says. “For every issue there is a कयती हⴂ। औय हय जिरे के दशिक सफसे ऩहरे fine line, between truth and half-truth – right from the Cauvery issue to atrocities on Da- खफय रहरयमा की ऽफयⴂ को देखᴂ। इसका असय lits. What mainstream does is just surface level exploration and does not go deep,” he देश बय के भीडडमा ऩय ऩड़े जजससे भेनस्र भ adds.