Even in the best of times, a journalist’s job is
hazardous. Here I am referring to real journalists and not trolls and puppy-eyed
pamphleteers. Journalists who dig out facts from the deepest and most securely
locked closets and not those who are happy to retail official handouts.
Journalists who do not hesitate while making facts public, unmindful of
personal risks involved and not those who invent fake news to please their
patrons. Journalists, who keep the world alert against all sorts of perils and
not those who imperil the world by resorting and spreading hate speech.
Today, the environment is getting increasingly
hostile towards genuine journalists, thanks to the rise of authoritarian
regimes and their collaborators around the world. Easy access to the
omnipresent social media facilitates the speedy spread of misinformation and
hatred. But, even when social media was absent, it was easy for the powerful to
trample on the rights of the vulnerable. This happened in major democracies
like the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. But at least corrective steps
were taken there, albeit after quite a bit of social and political struggle. Let
us not forget the shameful apartheid in South Africa.
Today, the trend is far more frightening.
Totalitarianism and authoritarianism are making their presence felt in several
countries, including respected democracies like India. Established opinion makers
and media houses are increasingly finding it convenient and lucrative to submit
to the diktats of dictators – both elected and the other types. No wonder,
their employees – the journalists – are only too happy to toe the line. We are
seeing this trend around the world. For instance, in the USA, Donald Trump’s
divisive politics impacted the world of journalism. Fortunately, there are fearless
fighters against this trend. For example, the two journalists Maria Ressa of the
Philippines and Dmitri Muratov of Russia. They have won the Nobel Peace Prize
this year, which is a clear endorsement of freedom of speech, which forms the
bedrock of liberal democracy. While declaring the names of the Peace Prize
recipients, the Nobel Committee said “freedom of expression and freedom of
information help to ensure an informed public … These rights are crucial
prerequisites for democracy and protect against war and conflict.”
However, not many journalists have been found
deserving of this honour. Despite their tiny number, they have certainly
influenced the quality of human rights environment around the world. Here are
the names of journalists who have been given the Prize so far.
Maria Ressa, 2020
Maria Ressa has been recognized by the committee
for using “freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence, and
growing authoritarianism” in the Philippines and for being a “fearless defender
of freedom of expression.” She has authored Seeds of Terror: An Eyewitness
Account of Al-Qaeda’s Newest Center, and From Bin Laden to Facebook: 10 Days of
Abduction, 10 Years of Terrorism.
Dmitry Muratov, 2020
The Nobel Committee said Muratov “has for decades
defended freedom of speech in Russia under increasingly challenging
conditions”. He is one of the founders of Novaja Gazeta which was
set up in 1993. He has served as the newspaper’s editor-in-chief since 1995. Six of Muratov’s colleagues have been killed
since the newspaper started, which has often faced harassment, threats,
violence and murder from its opponents. “Despite the killings and threats,
editor-in-chief Muratov has refused to abandon the newspaper’s independent
policy,” the Nobel Committee noted.
Élie Ducommun, 1902
The Swiss peace advocate Élie Ducommun was awarded
the prize "for his untiring and [skilful] directorship of the Bern Peace
Bureau". He also did journalistic work for a big part of his life. He
edited the political journal Revue de Genève and founded the radical
journal Der Fortschritt (Progress).
Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, 1907
Italian journalist Ernesto Teodoro Moneta – described
as a "militant pacifist" – was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
"for his work in the press and in peace meetings, both public and private,
for an understanding between France and Italy."
Alfred Hermann Fried, 1911
Austrian journalist Alfred Hermann Fried received
the prize "for his effort to expose and fight what he considers to be the
main cause of war, namely, the anarchy in international relations."
Norman Angell, 1933
British journalist, author, and economist Norman
Angell was awarded the prize "for having exposed by his pen the illusion
of war and presented a convincing plea for international cooperation and
peace." His most famous work The Great Illusion brought
upon a theory, which came to be known as Norman Angellism, which advises that "military and political power give a nation no
commercial advantage, that it is an economic impossibility for one nation to
seize or destroy the wealth of another, or for one nation to enrich itself by
subjugating another."
Carl von Ossietzky, 1935
He was awarded "for his burning love for
freedom of thought and expression and his valuable contribution to the cause of
peace." In 1926, Ossietzky assumed the role of editor-in-chief of Die
Weltbühne (The World Stage). It later published an article in March 1927
by Berthold Jacob, "which criticised the Reichswehr (the Unified Armed Forces of Germany) for condoning
paramilitary organizations." As an editor, Ossietzky was tried and convicted
for libel and sentenced to one month in prison. In March 1929, he published an
article by Walter Kreiser that essentially opposed secret German rearmament
which violated the Treaty of Versailles. Ossietzky was charged with the betrayal
of military secrets and was convicted, sentenced to 18 months in prison, and
released after 7 months after having been granted amnesty in 1932. He was again
arrested in February 1933 and kept in a concentration camp where he was
mistreated.
Tawakkol Karman, 2011
Yemeni journalist, activist, and politician
Tawakkol Karman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, sharing the award
with two other laureates "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of
women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building
work." She co-founded the group Women Journalists Without Chains
in 2005, advocating for freedom of expression and democratic rights. The
organization produces reports on human rights abuses and attacks against the
press in Yemen.
The above journalists did not hanker after cushy
jobs or an easy life. They risked their all to fight for a cause that would
benefit the world at large.
Now compare this with the state of journalism in
India. Our print and electronic media are essentially pro-establishment. Their
interest has always been vested in keeping the boat steady and not rocking it.
Although during Pt Nehru’s time the media was quite bold in its criticism of
the government’s omissions and commissions, it easily caved in during Indira
Gandhi’s time. And I am not talking of the infamous Emergency when the media crawled
and grovelled. In fact, barring a couple of honourable exceptions, grovelling
comes easy to our journalists. If Arun Shourie was the outstanding exception a
few decades back, today it is Ravish Kumar. It would be unfair to tar the rest
as natural grovellers because many among them preferred to sit on the fence by
pleading neutrality. This breed of journalists often lobbies for a seat in the
Parliament, especially the Rajya Sabha. The more ambitious types would try for
a state’s governorship. Of course, the Padma Award is the collateral dream of
all these gentlemen and ladies.
Today we are living in the age of “Godi Media”. Its
English equivalent would be the Lapdog Media. Most of the mainstream media
outlets are vying with each other to please the Saheb and his langotia yaar.
Let us recall the notorious Chat Gate when Arnab Goswami showed great concern
for Modi’s discomfort over the seriously ill Arun Jaitley not dying in time for
the PM to go to France in peace. Goswami’s purported chat with Partho Dasgupta,
the CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council mentions Jaitley, who was in hospital in August
2019, In the WhatsApp chats, dated 19 August 2019, Goswami had reportedly said,
“Jaitley stretching it. PMO doesn’t know what to do. PM leaving on Wednesday
for France.” To this, Dasgupta replied, “So hasn’t died yet?” Goswami’s most prized
scoop? Finding ISI agents on the fourth, or was it the fifth storey of a two-storied
hotel in Pakistan.
Well, why single out Goswami? Inventive
investigative journalists are swarming our news world like locusts. There are the
likes of Anjana Om Kashyap, Manish Devgan, what’s-his-name Chopra and Navika
Kumar etc who join hands with the likes of foul-mouthed Patra to insult
anybody talking sense during TV debates.
As for news reporting. From the Hathras atrocity on
a Dalit girl to the Lakhimpur Kheri crushing of farmers, we are witnessing the
most ham-handed, dark and comic fiction in the annals of our Democratic, Liberal
and Secular India. The consequences of which are unpredictable.
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