By Felix Antony
New Delhi, Feb 29, 2020: The 25th national convention of Christian journalists heard leading media persons in India urging fellow professionals to help fight “truthophobia” that has crept into society.
“Everyone is afraid of the truth because it demands action, and action involves pain,” laments Ignatius Gonsalves, the president of the Catholic Press Association (ICPA), while setting the tone for the February 29 convention that addressed the theme “Journalism Today: Pragmatism Triumphs over Principles.”
Nearly 100 media persons and students of communication from all over India attended the program at Don Bosco Provincial House, Okhla, Delhi,
Ignatius, who is also the executive editor of Kerala Shekinah TV, reminded Christian journalists that their role is to become light amid the encircling gloom as fake news factories present untruth that looks truer than the truth.
“No one wants to hear or speak the truth these days,” added the senior journalist with four decades of experience.
Rohit Wellington Rajan, senior news editor and anchor of the New Delhi Television (NDTV) who was among the panelists, agreed that everyone now lives with fear and resentment. “In our conversations, there is little acceptance of the other point of view and certainly very little nuance,” he explained.
Rajan regrets that journalism, particularly television, now serves its readers on opinion. “What is largely missing are the facts. That is the first challenge we face,” he added.
Urging media persons to introspect their actions, he asked, “In this noisy world of today’s journalism, are we being the voice of the voiceless? We must rediscover our roots and, in doing so, look at the way forward.”
He said dearth of facts has led to erosion of people’s trust in the media. According to him, journalism now has been reduced compliance or silence when it ought to speak the truth to those in power.
He wants journalists to interrogate the administration’s claims, “especially those that get right to the core of our identity as a nation.”
Rajan noted “the collapse of empathy in journalism” that has become “highly elite” much distanced from ordinary people’s experience.
The TV journalist admitted the loss of the ability to listen in modern world.
Other panelists were veteran editor H K Dua, Wire editor M K Venu and Jesuit Father Cedric Prakash. T K Rajalakshmi, Senior Deputy Editor, the Frontline, moderated the session.
The convention began with the presentation of a copy of the Indian Constitution to all dignitaries.
“We present the copy of the Indian Constitution, instead of the customary flowers and shawls, to remind ourselves that it is the soul of India and we as journalists, need to protect it from every onslaught,” said Capuchin Father Suresh Mathew, ICPA secretary and chief editor of the Indian Currents weekly.
Addressing the participants, Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi, bemoaned the sorry state of media in the country. “Most of the news channels have become cheerleaders of the ruling party and they have given up the pretense of being custodian of truth. India has dropped to 140 out of 180 countries in World Press Freedom index. The recent physical assault on the journalists in the ongoing protest in northeast Delhi does not augur well for the media in the country”, he said.
The ICPA honored Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Menamparampil with the Luois Careno Award for his excellence in journalism and 25 other journalists from around the country for their courageous and unbiased journalism over the many years. That the awardees included journalists from most of the faith background is noteworthy.
The convention concluded with the passing of a resolution to request the Indian government to invite Pope Francis to India, on the occasion of the canonization of Blessed Devasahayam, the first Indian layman to be canonized by the Church.