By Ranjona Banerji
At the confluence of misinformation and reality, stands this quite amusing story about fugitive rape accused Nithyanand, a “godman” and his virtual country of Kailasa. Or apparently, the “United States of Kailasa”. Social media was full of photographs and videos of Kailasa’s “permanent ambassador” at the United Nations, Vijayapriya Nithyananda.
Vijayapriya Nithyananda made a statement about how the “godman” was being persecuted by India and then took it back, saying they were all for India but some “anti-Hindu” elements were behind this persecution.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/who-is-vijayapriya-nithyananda-the-kailasa-representative-at-un-going-viral-101677805873259.html
The article above states that the UN human rights office clarified that the “United States of Kailasa” presented itself as an NGO and its comments were “irrelevant” and would not be included in its final report.
This so-called country of Kailasa is supposed to be an island off the coast of Ecuador, where Nithyanand fled in 2019. You can now get an e-visa for Kailasa though earlier the “godman” had said that Indians were not welcome to his nation, for obvious reasons.
Whether Nithyanand has in the meanwhile managed to teach lions and tigers how to speak Sanskrit or worked out the biology of aeroplanes remains a sad secret. Though his hilariously absurd videos remain all over the internet.
The reason for mentioning this is that it is now well-nigh impossible to sift fact from fiction. When the videos and photographs of this permanent UN ambassador emerged, they seemed like a spoof or a joke. But then it turned out to be partially true. Nithyanand and his followers misrepresented themselves, but they were not totally dishonest, if you will. They did go to the UN, but not as what they said they were and for the reason they claimed.
This makes the job of journalists even tougher. As it is, fact-checkers have stolen their thunder. Indian newsrooms never bothered with hiring fact-checkers anyway, unlike American newsrooms. I remember years ago, 1984 to be precise when I was at XIC, Bombay, the editor of Readers Digest gave us a guest lecture. He then offered us writing opportunities at his magazine, and promised a payment of Rs 3000.
Our eyes lit up with greed and then went out with disappointment. The story we submitted would be checked and re-checked. Our interviewees would be re-interviewed. From submission to publishing would take at least six months. We all gave up on greed. For context, my salary as a trainee copywriter at the time was Rs 500.
Indian newsrooms used to have a semblance of checks on facts at least by subeditors, news editors and so on. After the advent of frenetic breathless 24 hours television we appear to have given up that ghost.
It explains errors in newsrooms, in reporters getting taken in by “sources”, in how scamsters sound convincing and manage to produce “evidence” to convince even the most hard-bitten experienced journalists.
The growth of the internet and of social media has only fuelled the confusion of fake versus real. We have already felt the dire consequences of a pro-government media. By the time self-aware AI gets into the act, what will be left of journalism I wonder?
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal