In early 2006, when I was publishing-editing the now-moribund Newswatch, I had carried out a study on the state of freedom of expression in India for an international free speech network. The findings were not disquieting for those abreast with the state of affairs in the country; but there were some indicators that were a cause for worry, at least for me.
Most journalists we surveyed were found to be grossly nescient about free speech issues, people who wouldn’t for their wretched life write about or fight for free expression issues. It was ironic, and just as distressing, that the state of freedom of expression seemed to rankle civil liberties and human rights activists more than it would journalists. It is, needless to say, only natural that activists were always at the forefront of protests over free speech issues. Six years down the line, I am in a position to assert, not much has changed.
It was, just as much, not surprising to see the glaring and conspicuous absence of journalists at an event organised by Media Watch, Bengaluru (MWB) on Thursday last (December 13, 2012). The event The curious case of Naveen Soorinje: Why shoot the messenger? was to deliberate on (i) How can journalists report events if they fear arrest for just doing their jobs? (ii) Should a journalist report or intervene while covering an attack? (iii) The implications of the Naveen Soorinje case on the freedom of expression and public’s right to know.
MWB, of which I am one of the founding members, had expressly organised the event in the early afternoon so that working journalists could participate. But then, the turnout of journalists turned out to be a cruel joke – except for a handful (them being 'regulars'), journalists stayed away from the event. They must have had more pressing issues to cover and rack brains over probably – potholes and errant corporators, for instance. Free speech be damned.
But, having participated earlier in similar events organised by the Foundation for Media Professionals (FMP) in Delhi, I know for sure that journalists there are more agitated and concerned about free press issues than their counterparts here probably are (By the way, the MWB seminars / talks are in a way inspired by the successful ones of FMP). Relatively speaking, albeit.
This, of course, came as an anomaly of sorts since Delhi to me is all about boundless apathy, and Bangalore I presumed to be more vibrant and sensitive. Certainly not among journalists, as far as I can tell. All the more disconcerting, since I feel journalists in Bangalore have a lot more to be worried about the incessant assault on free expression taking place in the state, a lot indeed.
Commenting on the quality and kind of journalism practiced in Bangalore would be beyond the scope of this write-up, and not desired at this moment either, but it is well-nigh obvious that most journalists here live in their decadent comfort zones, afflicted by the ostrich syndrome. In most places, journalists have either unabashedly sold their sacrosanct souls to the devil, or lack guts altogether. Should I be surprised if the story’s the same for Bangalore?
