Me! Lord. I am a reporter from the journalistic fraternity you had called to vent your anguish against the injustice meted out to you from the senior most member of your fraternity – the Chief Justice of India. Have you ever imagined how much injustice we journalists face from the senior most member of our journalistic fraternity – the editor? In the press conference, you expressed your anguish and proclaimed ‘democracy is in danger’? Please read this to asses a reporter’s agony and suggest the type of conference, if any, we should call to express our agony.
Me! Lord. As you four were venting out your grievances before media, the reporter inside me wanted to weep. Whatever, injustice you claimed to have faced in work distribution I am sure it was just a minuscule of the discrimination, humiliation and hostile behavior a reporter faces in his career from his editor on a daily basis irrespective of his/her gender. A reporter can’t give next date on any assignment in his journalist career. We have to gather process and present the information in the form of a consumable report item on day to day basis.
A reporter can’t say that since a particular assignment is not of his choice so he is going to have a press conference. In monsoon when roads are waterlogged, the reporters of various assignments are engaged in reporting of water logging related stories irrespective of their choice. We can’t complain. Even if we show slightest sign of dissatisfaction, the editor takes no time to replace us with a new reporter from the market. At any time a crime reporter can be assigned a civic issue or a court reporter may be assigned a medical issue.
We all curse the editors on giving lucrative assignments to a particular member of our fraternity for him/her being close to him for being elite family, elite class, or gender bias. These fears and allegations are not always false. In print media the work distribution is more distinct than electronic media but everywhere, the editor, the senior most journalist acts as per his discretion without any condition.
Furthermore, there is no guarantee of job, no guarantee of minimum wages, no social security, no bungalow, no facility for children and family, no winter vacation, no summer vacation and no time is left for family life. Me! Lord. We are still waiting for the Majithia Wage Board you had ordered to implement. Unfortunately, the senior most member of our fraternity – the editor; himself faces all or most of the problems. His position before the owner is almost same as ours before him. However, he is tiger for us but lamb in front of the owner.
Me! Lord. As you deliver your judgment it is recorded, printed and communicated to the concerned parties. It’s not true in media. Often we gather information, make report but it is not communicated to the concerned parties – the audiences. In media it is called ‘news is killed’. Furthermore, everyday our report is edited by the editor or his junior representatives who are sometimes junior to us in journalistic experience, as much as sometimes we are not able to recognize our own report. The very freedom of expression of a reporter lies on the discretion of the editor. You have called the same reporter to complain about your Chief (Justice).
Me! Lord. We are from media so we can’t call a press conference. If democracy is in danger for authoritative work distribution by CJI, it’s facing equal if not more danger due to unrestricted discretion of the editor. As the media is the fourth pillar, the democracy is in danger. Like you four failed to resolve the issue within the periphery of judiciary, we are unable to get proper solution in the premises of media houses. We can’t call a press conference, either. Which type of conference we reporters should choose to tell our story to the Nation?
(The writer is a freelance journalist and opinion expressed here strictly personal.)