The professional media was always very shy of the word “I”. Across the world editors cautioned reporters against this, pointing out that their job was to communicate the news, inform the people, and not ever, ever try to become more important than the story itself. So, if reporters were beaten up by the police, or if they were hurt in a mob or in the line of duty, the newspaper would protest, would ensure action quietly, but would not make a hero of the individual as s/he was merely doing what s/he was in place to do. In fact, one entered the profession towards the end of a major internal debate between editors who felt that reporters should not be given bylines as this would take away from the story, and others who insisted that the facelessness was a deterrent and a byline ensured a certain responsibility. Eventually the debate settled in favour of the latter view, as reporters floated automatically towards newspapers who did away with complete anonymity.
The advent made all this appear obsolete as the first few channels launched in Delhi decided to turn reporters into stars. The advertisements, the coverage of news, the discussions were all made to revolve around the individual whose views, tears, anger, excitement made the news as much as the story itself. So viewers, with the enthusiasm of the new voyeurs, spoke more of a particular television reporter/anchor’s histrionics than about the story the person had set out to cover. This trend was strengthened over the years, with reporters on television becoming unabashed campaigners. Like the Bollywood movies, many of the television news channels turn news into drama, making it impossible for the viewers to sift between the facts and the disinformation.
BBC is one of the few television channels that tries to maintain the difference, with the result that much of its coverage is seen as professional and authentic. Fox News that seems to have become the model for most of the Indian news channels offends all sensibilities and carries out campaigns that often transcend the lines between fact and fiction, as happened during the “embedded” coverage of the US invasion of Iraq. This trend is dangerous as it takes away from the credibility of the media, with its efficacy as a watch dog sadly dented.
It is therefore, imperative to restore the credibility of the media by addressing the long list of issues that seem to have stalled its growth as the fourth pillar of democracy in this country.
This can only be done by the media itself, with bodies like the Editors Guild perhaps, taking the lead to initiate a debate, and action to restore news to a self generated and protected pedestal. There is a great deal to clean within, and perhaps a start can be made to make the story more important than the reporter/anchor once again.
