Journalism is a service and journalists must be allowed to function freely

Journalism is a service to society and the nation. Anyone wanting to make money should not be in  the profession. Only those who have the flair, the passion and the right attributes should enter, for only such people can take on the challenges and survive in the long run. This is what I told journalists via Skype at the Meet the Press programme organised by the Guwahati Press Club, with National Press Day lending a special significance.

Nava Thakuria, secretary of Guwahati Press Club, had a series of questions to ask me. One of which was whether the Press Council of India should also oversee the functioning of the broadcast and online media. While stressing the watchdog role of Press Council of India to ensure ethics and quality in news presentation, I agreed that there could be a sort of overarching body that oversaw the functioning of various media platforms, including print.

The usual question was also asked – will print die?  I said India still remained a country of newspapers and even in the digital age many couldn’t do without reading the newspaper over a morning cup of tea or coffee. Significantly, most Indians continued to trust newspapers as conveyors of factual information. I pointed out that the circulation of newspapers in India was healthy compared to downward trends in other parts of the world and that this was a good sign. And it was in the semi-urban and rural parts of India where the newspaper reading habit flourished, where people were often seen gathered around one newspaper and sharing information. One of the reasons could be patchy broadband connectivity and the costs associated with data plans.

Do today’s editors retain the influence of the ones of earlier generations? I said most of today’s editors were no longer the larger-than-life figures (or giants, if you will) of the past, certainly not of the stature of a Frank Moraes or a B.G. Verghese or a Chanchal Sarkar. It was a reflection of the changing times, and things, in any case, were never the same after the invisible wall between editorial and advertising had crumbled several years ago, I told the audience.

What would some of the main challenges for journalists be in the days ahead? One of the main challenges, I said, would be tackling fake news or misinformation. Listing out various examples, I said there was no solution in sight yet to tackle the problem and the onus was on editors and journalists to double-check at every stage and be very careful before publishing content. 

I also spoke about the hardships journalists in India faced today, especially if they were investigative reporters. India ranked low on the Press Freedom Index (compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders), journalists often faced harassment, intimidation and threats, and without doubt the killings of journalists who were just doing their job (Gauri Lankesh, Shujaat Bhukari, Santanu Bhowmick, Sudip Datta Bhaumik and others) had cast a dark shadow and created fear. It was just not right that this should happen in the largest democracy in the world, I said, adding that journalists must be allowed to function freely without feeling fettered in any way, and be protected. 

When asked about the woeful coverage of subjects such as health and agriculture by newspapers, I said that it was indeed true save for a few newspapers, and that a lot more attention was being paid towards politics and entertainment than hard issues that concerned the common person.

To a question relating to some publications inflating circulation figures to attract government advertisements, I was convinced that publishers of repute would not resort to such a practice. Such instances must be reported in any case, I said. I was all for transparency within the media and for news publishing houses publishing their accounting figures yearly. When journalists talked about the need for transparency and wanted individuals and companies to adhere, they should lead by example.

Finally, the question about salaries came up, and why journalists could not be paid well. I said news publishing houses must pay journalists reasonably well, provide them the necessary facilities to function, and also take adequate care of them if there was an accident or illness while out on work – many journalists braved odds to do a story. The financial and social security of journalists mattered, after all.