Noida: Truth is increasingly becoming a “casualty” in today’s media, eminent journalists and academicians have opined.
The scribes and teachers were taking part in a two-day seminar – Truth and Media – held in the national capital region of Noida from April 25.
News is now limited to “selective view of selective perception,” lamented Prof. Omchery N N Pillai, the doyen of Malayalam literature and Principal of Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan School of Communication.
Delivering the keynote address, he said “the media had the freedom to project its opinion provided it spoke the truth. “May not be full truth but should not be falsehood either.”
The twice Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award winner exhorted the 100-odd aspiring journalists present “to say the truth, but say it pleasantly. Do not ever resort to falsehood.”
Waxing eloquent on the topic ‘Absolute Truth and Relative Truth’, the playwright, novelist and poet quoted the Manusmriti, Upanishads and Vedas to drive home his point.
The seminar was jointly organised by Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication, National Institute of Social Communication, Research and Training (NISCORT) and IAAN School of Mass Communication, Delhi at Fr.Agnel School, Noida.
Prof Pillai also referred to Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei whose theory, contrary to Holy Scripture, maintained that the earth moves around the sun and how he agreed not to speak the truth to save himself from the gallows.
He said “the then Pope and people could not relate to the truth. The predicament of human beings today is the same that of not being be able to say the truth.”
Things have come to such a pass that some people feel truth cannot be associated with media, said Prof B K Kuthiala, vice chancellor of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication.
Explaining the bitter truth with a spoonful of sugar, he sang the Punjabi hit of yore “Bari Barsi Kattan Gaya se………”, where the singer asks “Kya mein jhoot bholiya (did I speak a lie)? Kya main kufur gholiya?(said something wrong) Kya mein zahar gholiya (will what I said poison society? and the audience responds each time koyi na, koyi na (does not matter).
“It is like that. We have no problem accepting half-truths the media dishes out,” Prof Kuthiala, an encyclopaedia on journalism, said.
“Do some introspection should we manufacture truth. Should we distort facts in our newsrooms?” he asked the would-be journalists.
“Truth is not a religious or emotional issue, it is only through establishing the truth can we hope for unity, togetherness and prosperity. But where truth is missing there will be anarchy, destruction and division. Historical experiences point to the fact, he said adding that is the absolute truth.
In his short but succinct Presidential address, Prof Kuthiala, who took over the reins of the university in 2010, had the students present on their feet responding with thunderous applause.
The session was followed by religious leaders expounding on ‘Multiple Paths to find Truth’ according to Holy Scripture.
Maintaining that “truth is self expression of God”, Fr Maria Susai, parish priest of Sacred Heart Cathedral, Delhi, spoke about Biblical aspects of truth. Haneef Shastri and Swami Sashwatanand were the other religious leaders who spoke quoting from their Scriptures on the topic.
India Today Editor, Anshuman Tiwari, described the media as a “chat room with no gatekeeper.”
The prestigious RP Goenka award winning scribe said the greatest danger was from Social Media which provides user-generated content.
He spelt out the need for raising benchmarks and for taking risks. Just like they do in the US and UK.
Sachidanand Joshi, Registrar, Dean Academics, Makhanlal Chaturvedi University, spoke of how the advertising world cashes in upon the media by “manufacturing consent”. “They cultivate an idea in you and make you respond to it.”
He also spoke about the many truths prevalent – decent truth, logical truth, legal truth, strategical truth, politically-correct truth, diplomatic truth, negligible truth, judicial truth etc. “But absolute truth is always missing.”
Speaking on “Components of Journalistic Truth,” Rajesh Badal, Editor Rajya Sabha TV, elucidated on some “kadwa sach (bitter truth)”.
He said the TV channel industry began with AAJ TAK in 2000. Within a matter of five years the fledgling industry grew into a whopping 10,00000 crore booming business.
Something that grows so exponentially in such a short span of time definitely does not thrive on truth alone is anybody’s guess, he said.
Badal said that Aaj Tak had taken a loan of 400 million rupees to start with. They had planned to pay off the loan within 10-12 years but hardly took six months to wipe off the loan. Such was the initial profits they made.
During that time so many journalism schools had not mushroomed and scribes were not easily available. So a wedding photographer was turned into a videographer, a lot of ordinary people unsuited to the job made it. They flourished with the industry which continued to bank upon such people.
Naturally compromise had to be made with content quality. The TV channels’ goal was raising TRPs (Television Rating Points) at any cost. Slowly as the Channels proliferated competition increased and it became a matter of survival of the fittest. Many channels had to shut shop.
The penultimate session of the final day had the students taking centre stage. Two student representatives from each university spoke on media and truth. Some of the students echoed the sentiments of the earlier speakers.
Niscort’s Fr Robinson Rodrigues, a student of Master of Journalism, stole the show with his very eloquent speech which began with an inspiring story. He said the media should try to unite and not divide the country. He made a strong pitch for eliminating “I sickness” (putting self first).
Onkar Pandey, Editor, Sun, Star Delhi gave the valedictory address on good journalistic practices. He spoke of how all three pillars of democracy have the red light on their vehicles. But the fourth pillar has no red but halogen light brighter than the others.
However, he warned the students that journalism was not a profession for those just seeking a livelihood. “It has to be a burning desire to serve, a passion and obsession. To seek the truth and convey the truth should be your only goal.”
Pandey concluded by saying that we should introspect on what the members of the fraternity can do to make the country vibrant.
Fr Sudeep Paul, the man behind the scenes but the pivot on which the whole program rotated, gave the vote of thanks.