Perils of writing the truth in Media

Biggest problem a columnist in a news paper faces it how to access truth and report it. Often truth is inaccessible due to unconscious bias as one nurtures beliefs and attitudes over years from early age. But most dangerous bias stems from motivated writing with a view to strengthen own self belief or expected gains by serving a section. During last six months before the elections to Lok Sabha and after, there had been complete misreporting or prejudiced reporting by the English and foreign media. Foreign respected journals like Economist wrote ‘Modi may become PM but he should not  It was based on wrong reporting of communal charge as in the incidents under question Supreme court monitored SIT had cleared him. I wrote to the journal that they have misrepresented the truth but they refused to publish it and later when I appealed they conceded. Back home almost all English media wrote what they thought in their left centered and hyper secular approach. They thought Modi can never become PM and pointed out party differences and election outcome that may not go in his favor.Some found him neglecting his wife or mother and continued to play the stories.  Prevailing opinion in almost entire English media was that India will get fractured verdict.  I wrote in this column that Modi has become a tornado and the outcome will be a surprise. Finally I forecast in March and April that Modi will become PM and he will have the support of 289 to 303 legislators. All survey and papers had forecast fractured mandate and uncertainty of forming government. Many readers ask me now how could I anticipate this as at that time no survey or paper wrote this. My answer is simple- one should look at events and available data without any bias. In this case I was not in favor of BJP but I made effort to cleanse my mind of my association and loyalties and focus on impartial reading of facts as were available. I asked many of my critic friends as to why they don’t see straight into eyes and responses of masses? Why do we see with colored glasses? For example one of my critic columnists was deeply connected with a political party in a state next to Himachal. He could only tell me what he wished to see and not what is there. His assessment was colored and I told him it was wrong. Later he admitted his misreading.

It is heartening that many columnists who presented distorted picture have confessed that they were wrong. Recently a senior columnist Dileep Padgaonkar accepted in editorial of Times of India ‘We goofed’. One Indian columnist quoted Pakistan papers to criticize Modi and is repentant. But even now a new problem has cropped up. Modi has closed the sources of information leakage and he does not speak unless needed. Consequently there are no stories or informal letting out of the tidbits. So we have stories of his dress making, his designers and his control on colleagues. The worst part is communalizing the individual misdemeanor like a Shiv sena man pushing down a chapatti on a cook who made bad food. The event turns national attack on a community which is obviously not intended but it is disservice to journalism to give it such a color. Similarly clashes in some parts are being reported in partisan manner and this is one area where not only neutrality but graceful silence should help in stopping the spread of violence. Look at Gaza conflict that has its human side of destruction but at the same time it is linked to a question-Should a tiny state surrounded by many of 22 Arab states die quietly? It cannot destroy others but it is most vulnerable. There should be effort to stop violence on both sides. But most of the media has to prove that it is secular and that means it should condemn Israel. Media must stand for the values of truth, courage and peace. Here the problem is that most of our left-cantered colleague intellectuals and writers too hold similar bias and would like to propagate anti-Hindu stance masquerading as secularism. Secularism must stand of equality of treatment and not preferential treatment of any religious groups. The basic question in our writing for media is how to ensure we stand for values and not personal predilections.  Above all the question is how to deal with open threats and pressure from those in authority. I know this might mean losing privileges or gains or even sometimes friends but it is sacred duty of scribes to write that which approximates truth. Urdu poet Hali wrote very aptly:

Hamna kehte the Hali chup raho /rast goyi main hai ruswai bahut ( Was I not telling you Hali  that keep quiet/ Truth telling would spell troubles for you))

Bus Stand

First Passenger: These days every housewife wants to go to expansive places. What to do if my wife asks me?

Second Passenger: Take her to Petrol Pump!

------Prof N.K.Singh former Chairman International Airports Authority of India.

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