By Ranjona Banerji
All of Australia’s newspapers presented their readers with “redacted” pages on Monday, October 21st, morning, to protest against the government’s attempts to stifle whistleblowers and criminalise journalists. Every newspaper was united in this effort. They were all fighting against the government and all fighting for the freedom of the press.
Should I repeat all that, if it hasn’t sunk in? Every newspaper in Australia standing up together against the government. Got it?
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/oct/21/australian-newspapers-black-out-front-pages-to-fight-back-against-secrecy-laws
To be fair, I wouldn’t be surprised if you hadn’t got it. Press unity is rare as it is. And in our current climate in India with a divided press, 90% chamcha-coward, 5% fence-sitters, 5% courageous, to actually take a stand against a government’s attempt to muzzle the press is unthinkable. It is also unthinkable that 90% of the media today is really bothered about whistle-blowers that might embarrass the Modi-BJP government. I reckon they run away faster than Usain Bolt if they come across a whistle-blower by mistake.
And, I hear you. A protest of this sort is not possible without the full support of owners. The main assault in Australia was on media baron Rupert Murdoch’s NewsCorp’s papers. The group, not without its own controversies, however has decided to fight for a free press. In India, as we know, only very few media organisations have this sort of courage any more. Those that do put up some sort of resistance to government control usually try and mitigate the possible consequences. Either by carrying government or party publicity stories or if they are big enough, using one outlet to attack and the other to pacify.
This undermines the very notion of journalism and ensures that we are always two steps back. Is it an inherent lack of understanding of what a news organisation’s primary job is? That cannot be, surely. Some of these news organisations have been around for ages. They know the score. But the owners are unable or unwilling to stand up for the very ethos of the media they are associated with.
This disease appears to have affected the most powerful and influential in India. Partly, it is because the government has hit them where it hurts, withholding advertising, changing newsprint prices, using tax departments to harass. But partly it is an intrinsic lack of a moral compass and courage and no ethical barometer. It seems extraordinary because given the current miserable economic condition, caused directly by government policy, deviousness and ignorance, you would think that blows to the pocketbook would hurt the most.
There is a possible, and more dangerous, explanation for the pusillanimity of Indian media owners. That some of them really endorse this government’s divisive religious and social agenda. How else does one explain the sort of toxic hateful stories put out by Zee News or Aaj Tak or ABP News or Times Now or News18? How CNN continues to be associated with News18 is beyond me.
In this atmosphere, it is at least heartening to read what R Rajagopal, editor of The Telegraph, Kolkata, has to say about how the time has come for journalists to stop being “neutral”. I know TV journalists are the stars as far as the public are concerned, but the standards and the structure of journalism in India are set and maintained by print.
https://kochipost.com/2019/10/19/the-telegraph-editor-r-rajagopal-cannot-afford-to-stay-neutral/?fbclid=IwAR3JniKUpmvGFj1KbojBzTeBT7DZ9a3OMwasUL9PsY00-gbAES243bbdyyk
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She is also Consulting Editor, MxMIndia. Her views here are personal