Professional Documents
Culture Documents
contempt for the truth or the reality of most peoples lives has overrun real journalism said Carl
Bernstein about the American media but it holds just as true for the Indian media. Rewind to the
happenings of the last few days and you will see how lack of information and contempt for the truth
has put the last nail in the coffin of the Indian mainstream media.
something the news fraternity would NOT have known before 9 June? Did it take his death to give
them a lead that, yes theres this important story? Or did he have to die for our media to sit up and take
note?
Jagendra Singh died. A fellow scribe died a horrible death (perhaps a timely intervention may have
saved him) and our celeb journos were conspicuous by their silence. There was no outrage on Twitter.
None of the journalists, who when it was Charlie Hebdo changed their DPs and said I am
Charlie, even reacted. None of them wrote columns as they did for Charlie when it came to Jagendra.
The reason for my desolation is not unfounded. I waited patiently to see how our MSM journos react.
The ones who instantly defend Tejpal, are silent on Pachauri, or pour bile on Modi or ridicule
him at any given instance, had been observing deathly silence when it came to Jagendra. I waited
for our journalists to wear black bands registering their protests. I waited for them to blacken their DPs
to show solidarity with their own fraternity. I waited for them to register a mass protest against the
gruesome death of their fellow journalist. Though not a believer in candle marches, I waited for our
sensitive journalists who worry about terrorists human rights, to go to Jagendras humble abode and
light candles there and show his family some sympathy.
Did any of this happen? No. All we got was this banal inanity from the Press Council of India
Chairman C K Prasad, who said on 10 June: The murder of a journalist at Shahjehanpur in UP is
certainly an attack on the freedom of the press and as such it should be treated seriously. The state
government should appoint a Special Investigative Team consisting of officers of impeccable character
and track record to get to the truth of the matter as it allegedly involves a minister of the state Cabinet.
a courageous scribe, who actually took on the might of corrupt politicians through his humble
Facebook page and got murdered in cold blood begets at first a deathly silence and then as an
afterthought, delayed tributes and lip service TV programmes on his deathbed confession.
The celeb journalists who run prime time TV shows have shown us that their loyalty lies with TRPs
and political agendas, not with news. The very fraternity which runs stories on Bollywood actors dying
alone let this journalist down by letting him die alone with nary support let alone moral outrage.
From his deathbed, Jagendra would have hoped that his statement would help bring accused to book.
But looking at the way our media has reacted I can only pray that his death does not go in vain. Not the
just stories he was pursuing, I pray his story too lives onfor the future of honest journalism.