No one knows why media is called the fourth pillar of democracy. Even in popular democracies of the world including those of the US and Australia, media has been known to play a dubious role to side with political and business camps to benefit them on quid pro quo mode. Those countries are affluent, so media-vested interest nexus is never on a tiny scale the way it happens in India, laughably called the world’s greatest democracy for the stupidest reason of having a huge number of voters on record. Ironically, most literate Indians don’t go out to vote nor do ever worry for being deprived of casting their votes. They are obviously not educated enough to know or recognise the power of choosing good leaders. The same non-voting ones are found to be grumbling the most for having the most despicable scoundrels ruling them.
In India, journalism has become a big domain of making dirty money easily. More than fifty per cent of reporters engaged with big media houses resort to mean tricks of striking deals with politicians and business corporates to lead a luxurious life. As per the ethical standards prescribed by the Press Council of India, journalists are expected to avoid any Government or corporate enticement including houses at reduced rates, attending parties with food and liquor and accepting free travel with political or corpoarte dignitaries on foreign trips. All this creates terrible ‘conflict of interest’ situations that impede free, fair and objective reporting.
In Odisha, during the late JB Patnaik administration, many in the journalism industry availed anything that brought them a comfortable life. Earlier, only a very select few top national-level media houses were allotted houses for their bureaus only, in which some of the reporters lived with family. They were known for highest moral standards and being dispassionate to functionaries in any field while assessing the latter’s contribution to society. Essentially, the journalists put together constituted the ‘conscience keeper’ that kept vigil over the legislature, the executive and the judiciary to bring to light willful errors and blunders committed by any of the de jure pillars of democracy. In India, every day a couple of media agencies keep cropping up. Populist politicians with black money and business houses with stolen profits have set up their own media houses for self-promotion, an act which is unethical for they engage in fleecing and deceiving the masses with publicity to elevate their public standing beyond truth.
In Odisha, ordinary reporters have not only occupied grand State houses for songs, most of them have availed Government lands and houses at highly reduced prices or out of turn, which, if the Press Council codes of conduct are applied, should cost them their job. Several media houses have taken land and houses in prime locations and put them on astronomical rent, occupying only ten or so per cent of the area to remain clean on record.
There are some who have ceased to be journalists since long; yet big houses still contain them at posh localities of the capital city. The mutual benefit factor binds them all by way of a praise club which is specifically used to guard them against danger posed by moral crusaders or upright State authorities. Journalists availing high wage board-recommended salaries and fat house rent from their principals occupy Government facilities without any sense of shame or remorse. Some are known to have grabbed more than one prime location government scheme house and sold one at huge premium to make big money quietly.
The point is not to lower the dignity of media people. The only objective is to tell the world that the black sheep in the media must be identified and tossed to the garbage yard. If the conscience keeping agency is defective in its core, the de jure pillars of democracy would crumble.
The media people too are blamed for being weak in learning and research. They have begun taking the easier path of collecting critical information provided by ‘hearsay’ agencies and the ‘grapevine’ as it causes sensation. A simple example: All media keep crying that Titilagarh is on fire at 46 degrees Celsius. Puri and Paradip are coolest at 37. People from Titilagath and such areas spend precious money, time and energy to land in Puri to realise that they have only escaped the frying pan to fall into fire. What media fails to explain is the fact that 46 degree at relative humidity of 50 is far more soothing than 35 with 85 per cent humidity. It is not the heat but the abnormal humidity which counts. A bottle of water can protect a construction worker in 58 degree Celsius-hot libya whereas 42 degree with 85 per cent relative humidity in Bhubaneswar can kill. In tropical and subtropical zones, people suffocate for the body-cooling evaporation does not happen at all.
Similarly, journalists do not take care to report a court ruling correctly only because they fail to differentiate between an observation and a ruling, thereby misleading the readers to construe as they like. lastly, cheap, socially irrelevant news is given important coverage only due to lack of journalistic skills though it is true that once in a while some garbage and crap too has a positive effect by way of cheering people up with good ingredients of humour. Further, journalists remain aligned with camps that support them. The ‘conflict of interest’ element is rendered nonexistent only for survival reasons, which should be treated as acceptable on the basis of the philosophy of existentialism.
We turn to those anxiety-causing situations like the raging political row in Delhi. As per the Constitution, Delhi is not a Union Territory where the lieutenant Governor is the head of State. In Union Territories, popular elections to choose lawmakers do not take place. Delhi has been recognised as a special State comprising the national capital territory with a legislative Assembly of 70 elected representatives. The special status of Delhi State is different from others on only one score: the administration of law and order lies with the Union Government. So, the lieutenant Governor can have a big or all ‘say’ only on matters of law and order and may be extending to selecting the police personnel including the Director General. The critical post of Home Secretary has to remain under the CM after having been chosen jointly by him and the lG. The High Court passed a fair order after making very logical observations. In a democracy, the popularly elected lawmakers are to be the bosses in running a State. But surprisingly, the Supreme Court deflected the ruling which may eventually influence the final High Court order in the lG’s favour. The High Court has already declared the lG the boss, which frustrates democratic attempts by a popularly elected Government. A reader of a leading Odia daily says in his letter to the editor that he has lost faith in the judiciary because the Karnataka High Court let off Jayalalithaa as innocent after she had been thoroughly tried and convicted with a hefty fine of Rs 100 crore. The media too keeps reporting blandly as the quarter-baked news comes pouring out. Media masters have to look up the Constitution and do some research before sharing bland news which changes every minute for being full of half truths and rumours.
*A Nabakalebar farce was staged by the deities’ cousins, called the Daitapatis, during the dream-driven identification and subsequent transport of the Darus to Puri. Moneymaking having been highest on their agenda, the age-old confidential process was probably covered live by TRP-crazy TV channels the way India-Pakistan one-day international matches are broadcast on prime time. From the night of June 2, the mad rush has shifted to Brahmagiri, where lord Alarnath gives darshan to millions of Jagannath devotees until the deities’ Rath Yatra begins. Most newspapers and TV channels have put the countdown clock in sight already to ensure the heart of the gullible Hindu devotee keeps skipping a beat at least once every day until the biggest event commences after 43 days. The little town of Puri is the biggest victim along with its residents who will be herded from one end to the other without being recognised by thousands of alien police and security personnel trained to misbehave fantastically.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)