By Ranjona Banerji
I watched the first episode The Newsroom, the formidable Aaron Sorkin’s foray into journalism, last night. There was a lot of talk about getting back to real news, to appealing to the small percentage of people who are interested in more than just optics and drama. It’s an argument heard over and over again in newsrooms and most journalists would err on the side of news. However, there is always that small percentage of journalists looking for fame or craving management approval who will build their careers around following trends, being subservient to ratings, and thereby ensuring themselves careers which may or may not have anything to do with a commitment to journalism.
The Newsroom is of course fiction and part of the fantasy that Hollywood and American television have about “ideal†journalism. However, one line from Charlie Skinner, the president of the fictitious news channel, stood out: “I am too old to be governed by the fear of dumb people.â€
It is a bold and arrogant statement but while the dialogue of The Newsroom can never match the unmitigated brilliance of Paddy Chayefsky’s Network, this statement in a way encapsulates the problem. How far should journalists go to cater only to the lowest common denominator, especially if it takes you away from the essence of the job?
This column however is not about a 2011 American TV show. It is about the media and its responses to the world around it. Since November 8, the main focus of the Indian media has remained the fallout of the Modi government’s demonetisation policy. There have been two parts to this coverage. The first has been the reactions of the general public, their confusion, elation (on camera at least) and their suffering. The second has been the “discussions†on English news television. There is a clear disconnect between the two and it is one thing for pro-government self-appointed spokespersons to be disingenuous about the suffering of the masses and quite another for seasoned journalists to commit the same crime.
And yet, as we move to December and with the chaos on the ground still continuing, on which side of the history of journalism would these news anchors like to err? I have no answer but I remain amazed, from a journalistic perspective.
Some news anchors however have used their star status to look beyond the optics, the melodrama of the Prime Minister, the antics of the opposition and the callousness of corporate friends of BJP, to take the government on. Ravish Kumar on NDTV India has been remarkable, night after night, as he often is. He is also one of the few TV journalists who puts together a show with extensive research rather than calling the same six guests to say the same thing night after night after night.
The Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley was Ravish Kumar’s target on Thursday night. Jaitley made a speech where he claimed that had news television been around on August 15, 1947, it would have concentrated only on the Partition riots and not on the joy of Independence. This statement was made as a joke I think and with the characteristic smirk.
Ravish Kumar tore through Jaitley’s comment point by point with research to back him up. Newspapers reported both these aspects of Independence Day, the joy and the sorrow. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge of Indian history would know that Mahatma Gandhi was not part of the Independence Day celebrations (though I can understand that anyone who is part of the RSS family would have no idea about that). Gandhiji was in Calcutta to try and stem the violence for which he undertook one of his most important fasts. The Father of the Nation decided to concentrate on human misery.
This famous quote from the Mahatma himself underlines the divergent views of journalists, politicians and both civil and uncivil society on the government’s demonetisation idea:
“I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man (woman) whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him (her). Will he (she) gain anything by it? Will it restore him (her) to a control over his (her) own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj (freedom) for the hungry and spiritually starving millions?â€
Jaitley as part of the government wanted only kudos. Happily there are some in the media who look on life otherwise.
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Meanwhile, I have to give one more thumbs up to the excellent local coverage on demonetisation in the Dehradun edition of The Times of India. Atul Sethi and his team have examined the effects of this policy on practically every aspect of life here in Uttarakhand and continue to do so with solid reporting and panoramic vision. Congratulations!