B. The job hazard

The degradation of journalistic values started right from the first paper - Hicky's Bengal gazette albeit as part of Hicky's eccentric enthusiasm to expose the British.  In his columns he wrote several criticisms of the persons in high positions and even soldiers and justices not just about their corruption but also about their personal lives. This transformation of reportage into yellow journalism has turned him against the then governor-general Warren Hastings. As a result he was awarded imprisonment and fine. Later Hicky's paper died and he himself died in extreme penury.

Of course his exposure of the east India company's exploitation of India was of much bigger concern to the administration, but his deliberate inclination towards cheap journalism was absolutely unpardonable in a profession such as this and so he became a minion in front of the all mighty administration.

The point to be noted is that the whole job of reportage demands truth to be disseminated to the masses with utmost journalistic standards. And the inherent contradiction of the entire job is that, any form of control to sustain these standards could reduce the reliability of the news itself. Only a high level of personal discipline can produce unbiased reportage. This is where Hicky failed miserably in discharging his duty and has succumbed to the perils of such an uncontrolled and unrestrained professional setup called the press.

The urge to monetize news and push views into the facts and sensationalize the actual story is what is called presstitution and this parallel profession is as old as prostitution if not so rewarding till the times of Indian emergency of 1975.

Monetizing news at the expense of truth and for unworthy and biased motives to achieve personal or professional gains is what will convert press to presstitution.

This is primary job hazard that every reporter has to deal with every moment.

The art of story telling is the primary skill that is needed for a journalist but he cannot and shall not leave the boundary of truth whatsoever. The urge to cross limits to sensationalize by propositions and judgments bypassing the limits of truth will result in unimaginable effects to those involved in the story and also change the outcome of the perception of truth in the reader's mind and ultimately that of the communities and societies at large.

The perception of truth in an individual's mind is the outcome of news reporting, but the unwritten rule is not to fiddle with the truth. It's perception of truth but not it's contrivation or interpretation that counts in a high valued reportage.

This is where editorship plays a key role to identify and eliminate such blunders from creeping into the reportage. The original editorial rules framed would have been evolved much further if at all this cardinal rule of reportage was followed, but unfortunately corrupt practices and substandard acts have not only created bad news agencies but also equally ignorant and corrupt masses, as a result of chain of reactions in a vulnerable yet unsuspecting setup such as a democracy.

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