From a journalist’s point of view
RK@10
Daanish
Bin Nabi
On March 10, Rising Kashmir completed its
10 eventful years. Being part of the Rising Kashmir family, the day called for celebration
as well as reckoning. At the event organized to commemorate 10 years of public
interest journalism, distinguished personalities spoke on issues related to
journalism, media, reporting and the society as they all exist today. Besides
the celebration, we also as journalists took it as an exercise that forced the
introspection. It is important for people associated with journalism or any
other profession to take a moment to reflect as how things are changing and
where we as individuals, the fraternity as a collective group or all of us
together as a society are heading towards.
As pointed out by the Editor-in-Chief Rising
Kashmir, Shujaat Bukhari, journalists and media persons in Kashmir have to deal
with lot of pressures. The pressure invariably increases from bottom to top. A
journalist starting from the base, the lowest level, often thinks that he or
she has to bear the most. But a broader view reveals quite a different picture.
The pressure or the level of stress also increases proportionally to that of
the responsibility. At the leadership level, it is this responsibility that
makes it extremely challenging.
About responsibility, we often hear that
with great power comes greater responsibility. It is a virtue that has become
more meaningful today when fake news and irresponsible journalism have got
encouraged by new media technologies. The responsibility has to be shared not
only by journalists in one institution or organization but collectively.
Another principle that journalists need to
strictly adhere to is be fair. Complete objectivity is not possible in certain
cases. Journalists are human beings and not machines. They cannot be thought of
as being unsusceptible in certain circumstances where humanity has an override.
We saw that happen in 2014 when floods dealt a severe blow to the people of
Kashmir. In such trying times a journalist cannot be a mere professional but a
human being first. Where there was a need to put the camera away and offer a
helping hand to stranded people, the journalists did complete justice to their
role.
Veteran journalist Muhammad Sayeed Malik,
who spoke on the occasion, also highlighted some of concerns that have come up
lately. From a journalist’s point of view, it has as a matter of fact become
more challenging to function and move forward in journalism. Pragmatism has
come into play as there are certain considerations that cannot be simply ruled
out. An institution has to sustain and be in the running mode. It makes us
aware of a change in journalism that was practiced by our predecessors and the
one we see today. We can only, in the hindsight, say that journalism in the
past was simpler and enjoyed much more freedom for its production methods were
different. Today the operational and production costs demand that some space be
reserved to ensure the sustenance of media outlets. There are people who
complain to us that newspapers are too much focused on advertisements. But what
they fail to understand is that information also comes at a cost. It is not
charity work but a strictly professional code that we as journalists must stick
to.
Vice Chancellor IUST, Mushtaq Siddiqi, who
spoke on the occasion, also highlighted some concerns that are shared by the
people in general and the fraternity in particular. To begin with, as
journalists we are glad to hear that there are people who want to share what
they think as important in practical journalism. The world has indeed changed.
Far-right groups and ideologies are fast replacing the progressive ones. It is
not happening in one country or at one place, but is a global phenomenon now.
The media having the power to set the nations on their course ought to share
responsibility and also be held accountable. As advocates of a better world,
journalists can play an important role. It may sound subjective and
opinionated, but the media has to be responsible to the society and all changes
it goes through.
In military terms they say power comes
through the barrel of the gun; in our terms we say power flows through the ink
of the pen. Whenever we write we are giving away that power to someone,
transferring it. When we ought to do it, we must keep in mind the social
disparities. We can choose to highlight those issues of the public which may
help reduce the disparity, otherwise what they call – the rich will become
richer and the poor poorer. The power must be shared through the ink of the pen
to make the underprivileged powerful.
Lastly, materialism has affected almost
every profession. We hear people say things about noble professions like
medical care and education. Journalism is still read under humanities and
treated as its subject. While we have seen ambitious lot lately, the humanity
part has to be preserved at all costs. Otherwise journalism will lose its
credibility, its relevance and its meaning to masses.
Published in RK on March 13, 2018
