Thank you dear subscribers, we are overwhelmed with your response.
Your Turn is a unique section from ThePrint featuring points of view from its subscribers. If you are a subscriber, have a point of view, please send it to us. If not, do subscribe here: https://theprint.in/subscribe/
Journalists are not neutral. They never were. Since childhood, I saw them reporting, analysing, asking questions, and sometimes giving opinions. But the fact that they were trying to insert their agendas and political or ideological beliefs never occurred to me.
During my journalism student days, I believed a journalist should stay neutral. We debated for hours on whether a journalist should continue to record a tragic event or chip in to help. You can imagine the mental gymnastics that happened. I remember watching a documentary of a woman living in a conservative country, trying to make ends meet through doing something illegal or immoral, depending upon how you perceive it. We did ask the filmmaker why she did not choose to help the woman financially instead of just recording her life, or were there moments when she considered helping when things got extremely difficult for the woman?
Back to the present times. With age and time, I have also developed a deep and strong political and ideological leaning. I do not cover politics as a beat, but I have a deep understanding of it. Probably, it comes naturally to me. After all, I am from Bihar. However, I make a point to keep these to myself and discuss only with close friends and family. It’s not that I am afraid of sharing my views in public, but I feel that as long as I am a journalist, I should not. And moreover, regardless of the bias I may have, it should never influence my work. But I do make exceptions to speak about politics. Some commentaries here and there. Mostly through memes. To confuse algorithms [but they’re smarter], I even go to the length of following people [journalists and politicians and so on] from both sides. I remember a colleague inviting me to join the Shaheen Bagh protests. I did not go. I asked the colleague what makes you think I am against or in favour of the protests. And also that I had been part of the Anna Andolan back in the day. So, you know.
The neutrality of journalists is now pretty much exposed. It’s just out; everyone now knows whom they like, dislike, hate, and love. And it does not take much to figure out. Journalists are themselves revealing their leanings on social media. It’s explicit. And even everyday people now know it. So, we have cohorts of people following journalists because the latter speak in favour of their politics and ideology. These journalists now invite like-minded people to their podcasts and conversations, and for public consumption. An informal setup helps double down on what they think. And they troll the other side. Boy, they’re so creative nowadays.
Journalists are now celebrities in their own right. “XYZ shuts up ABC” clips are common on social media. Low key, I enjoy these a lot. Probably because it serves my political leanings. And there’s something called ‘Hate-Watch’. Basically, it’s enjoyable seeing these so-called biased journalists when something does not go according to their agenda. Since it’s live and on-camera, it’s extremely gratifying to see them having a meltdown real time.
The labels of right-wing-aligned or left-wing-aligned are no longer concentrated to select individuals. Media houses, some new and some old ones, are too now painted with the labels. ‘Oh, it’s on BBC. They will always show India this way.’ ‘Oh, it’s The Wire. What else do you expect?’ ‘Republic TV is not a news platform’. I’m sure you would have heard these like I have.
As a journalist, I wonder if I become public with my political leanings and start talking about it, what will happen? Can a right-wing-aligned journalist get a job at let’s say The Wire? Or can a left-wing journalist get a job with Republic TV? At the end of the day, I keep quiet also because I don’t want to get rejected because I vote for a certain party and believe in their ideology. I was being interviewed by a legacy publication a couple of years ago or so. The interviewer asked me, who’s responsible for the Covid deaths. I ended up saying “Ashwathama Hataha, Naro Va Kunjaro Va”, a deceptive phrase uttered by Yudhishthir from the Mahabharata.
If you ask me, it is okay to be biased. Everyone is biased. Everyone has their political and ideological beliefs. As long as it does not interfere with the work you do, it should be fine. However, these lines are now blurring. Not that I have already chosen the side, but I don’t want the public to ever know. Maybe if it becomes a barrier in finding a job, I may reconsider this.
*ENDS*
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.