“Journalism can never be silent: That is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air.”
— Henry Anatole Grunwald
JOURNALISM today is not same as it was few decades back. It has grown up, took a new shape altogether, and most importantly figured out the formula to ‘commercial’ success. Well, much like movies journalism has started following the script and the scriptwriter is the establishment in most cases. The Freedom of Press which sounds like a strong word on paper has a meager role to play in the actual World. The scenario is more or less same around the globe but I would like to explain a little about my observations which surrounds my country INDIA.
Before we move further in looking at the current scenario, let us have a look at the inception and the early years of Journalism in the country.
Indian journalism in proper terms dates back close to 250 years ago when a Brit William Bolts ‘announced’ the first newspaper meant for publication in 1776. Bolts invited the ones who are interested to read the news to his residence. The newspaper had dual function, one was dispatching news from home for readers and also expressing the grievances against the colonial administration. It was not a huge success. The first breakthrough point in Indian Journalism came few years later in 1780 when James Augustus Hicky, a printer by profession dared to start ‘Bengal Gazette’ which is also famously known as Hicky’s Gazette. It was probably the first time in Indian history when Journalism saw the Sun. Hicky described Bengal Gazette as a ‘ weekly political and commercial paper open to all parties but influenced by none’. It was probably the first whistle-blower. The Bengal Gazette targeted the likes of Warren Hastings and his private affairs. The Gazette featured everything which in today’s date will be popular as ‘scandals’. After a year later, Warren Hastings denied all postal facilities to Hicky’s Gazette. Hicky was put behind the bars and his printing press seized. He continued writing in the prison against the tyranny but soon faded away. That was in other words was perhaps the first indirect ‘censorship’ on press.
Bengal became a popular zone for Press as 5 newspapers made back to back appearances in the following years after 1781. Bombay Herald and Madras Courier were launched in two cities, this papers became lapdogs of the administration and soon garnered popularity. Circulation was high and the papers continued to publish in favour of the establishment. This was probably the first time ‘journalism of biases’ took shape in the country. In 1799, Government issued Press Regulations in the country and also introduced pre-censorship of press unofficially. It was the first seed sown against the Press Freedom.
In the following century Indian Language Journalism saw its first light with Serampore Missionaries and social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy came up with their vernacular newspapers and periodicals. There were few others who took courage and published anti-establishment news in vernacular languages but this only pricked the British administration to tighten the regulations on Press. In the year 1857, which the British historians also term as the year of ‘Sepoy Mutiny’, the restrictions on Press freedom was increased with the Gagging Act, passed by Lord Canning to prevent the newspapers to publish anything which criticizes the Government.
In the next couple of decades, India saw the rise of English language newspapers like Times of India, The Madras Mail, The Amrit Bazar Patrika and a few more. These papers were mostly edited by Brits and they served the purpose to satisfy the readers in support of the establishment. Few newspapers tried to break-free, they were silenced and the process was initiated which goes on till date.
What you just read is a reflection of what journalism under tyranny goes through, but you don’t really need to look back at history to see such forms of JOURNALISM. Look around today, see what the newspapers and most importantly the news broadcasting channels are following.
‘Journalism to influence’ has lost its ground to ‘Journalism by influence’ in 21st century. Today we have thousands of news papers and news channels in various categories,modes and languages being operated throughout India, but what is interesting is that we will find handful of such media bodies actually working without biases in their reporting. What forces this media houses to report in one particular line? What influences them to hide the truth at most times? Well, the answer to this is not very difficult to derive, like in the British-era even today, the tyranny of the establishment continues to hold a tight grip on the newspapers, television news channels, radio, digital platforms etc. One can question, what convinces me that the establishment influences the media, to answer them I can cite many examples of recent times where Journalist who tried to break the shell and report in a way which otherwise would trouble the Government’s agenda and votebank politics were either killed or suspended or put behind the bars.
In the month of January, a crime reporter from The Tribune, Chandigarh, Rachna Khaira, investigated and published a report claiming that spending only Rs. 500 and 10 minutes was enough to get access to every detail submiited by individuals to UIDAI (Adhaar registration authority) and hence the data was not safe with the authority. Soon after the report was published, an FIR was lodged against Khaira and the daily by an unnamed deputy director. This is a great example, how reporting on issues for greater good comes under the scanner just because they question the authority.
There are plenty of instances where journalists have been killed, recent cases include the murder of Gauri Lankesh, Sujaat Bhukari etc. Journalists in India are not safe, they do not enjoy Freedom of Press which probably other nations do, but is this the reason why many big media houses today are acting as conservative forces and operating as the lapdogs of the establishment. In a democracy as large as India, media is considered as the fourth pillar and is generally expected to report without biases. So, what makes them go against the purpose and support the strong and mighty?
We can ask a million questions, but we won’t have a single person responsible to answer that. In the past 20 years, the trend of media houses operating has seen a change and this change is facilitated by the influencers. Many news channels and newspapers in the country are owned or financed by the top businessmen or people who are in terms with the politicians or are politicians themselves. The media houses need to keep themselves well fed and hence work under the ‘orders’ of these forces. In the generation of media where digital mediaspace has taken over and newspapers are drying out of circulation, only respite for them is taking shelter under these influencers. Broadcast media too is loosing out on TRP as the number of media houses in the country are increasing by the day, so they resort to ‘dishonest’ and ‘sensational’ journalism.
The important part which all these media houses, journalists, inlfuencers, politicians and everyone else involved in dissemination of bias news, forgets is that the country might be the biggest democracy and the 6th fastest growing economy in the World but it is also home to the largest population of poor people. The issues of this country are not limited to fitness and ‘selifes’. The issues are much bigger, at the ground level, a common Indian suffers a lot and no one takes responsibility to report that probably because that might affect the votebank politics and also the financial support to the media house. Media is supposed to be standing with the oppressed and supporting their causes rather they do vice-versa. The focus should be on creating healthy debates and discussion which would yield some solutions to the existing problems of the country rather not give birth to more.
Well, a lot needs to be done and a lot need to transpire from the few sensible minds of the country who actually try hard to work for the people and their issues.
yuvrajadhikari 