Journalism started going astray with the birth of financial dailies in the 1960s. With full-fledged newspapers devoted exclusively to business, corporate houses became hyperactive. The next thing we knew was press conferences ending with gifts of expensive sarees and suitlengths to reporters.
That was innocent child play compared to what has hit the headlines now: charges of celebrity journalists working hand in hand with a professional lobbyist to fix things like cabinet appointments and big-ticket business deals.
Excerpts from taped conversations between the star journalists and corporate lobbyist Niira Radia have been published. Radia was promoting the prospects of some DMK personalities as well as the gas interests of one Ambani brother and the spectrum interests of the Tatas.
The journalists became her tools.
Lobbying is a recognised activity in democracies. But it is a tricky line of work because sometimes unconventional methods might become necessary to secure the case of a client. Given Niira Radia’s experience and efficiency, acknowledged by companies like Tatas, we must assume that she took care not to cross the line. Anyway we can leave it to the enforcement directorate which is looking into the matter.
Journalism is as different from lobbying as nariel paani is from singlemalt. Any crossing of the line may be a tribute to the power of singlemalt, but never justifiable.
Unfortunately the journalists show themselves as amenable to doing the unjustifiable. They agree to convey messages favouring A.Raja to the Congress bosses. They agree to take the side of the Ambani brother Radia was promoting as against the other brother.
The moment the tapes were published, the journalists mentioned in it rushed to rebut all insinuations. The arguments were that journalists had to talk to all sorts of people, that “stringing” along with a source was no crime, that promises had to be made sometimes to get information from a source. The employer of one journalist said that it was preposterous to “caricature the professional sourcing of information to ‘lobbying’”.
The question is whether the journalists carry credibility. Of course drunks and murderers have been among the valued contacts of journalists. And of course journalists have moved very closely with political leaders.
Few people were closer to Jawaharlal Nehru than B. Shiva Rao of The Hindu. Prem Bhatia of The Statesman used to walk the corridors of Delhi as if he owned them. The hardest nuts in the power circle cracked happily before Nikhil Chakravartty on his morning rounds.
Not once did these men ask for a favour or recommend a businessman friend. They were not social celebrities, but they did their profession proud by keeping the highest possible credibility level.
Today’s celebrities assume they can win credibility by simply saying that they talked to Radia only as a source and that they never kept promises made to her anyway. Is a veteran networker like Radia so easily fooled? Obviously she is close to her journalist contacts and must have had promises from them before. She wouldn’t waste her time if she knew that they were promises not meant to be followed up.
At one point she actually tells another contact that “I made [the journalist] call up Congress and get a statement”. This is Radia speaking, not a naïve greenhorn. To say that this kind of work on behalf of a lobbyist is legitimate journalism is like B.S. Yediyurappa saying that all he has ever done is development work.
To say that they promised to talk to the likes of Sonia and Rahul only to outsmart a war-horse is like the BJP high command saying it has outsmarted Yeddyurappa.
The glamour of celebrityhood has a way of going to one’s head. Delusions of grandeur are never a journalistic virtue. The real virtue is the mind’s ability to maintain a degree of detachment. When the game is played at the 5-star level, one can never be sure of who is fooling whom.
It will be good for everyone to remember that there is one lot that can never be fooled: The people.
External reading: The Niira Radia tapes and transcripts
IJR 
Great piece TJS. I quote from your second last graph: “The real virtue is the mind’s ability to maintain a degree of detachment.” Wonder, how many journalists can do this?
God Save Journalism!
Needless to say trust has been demolished. For any media firm, trust / credibility are the biggest assets. If they are lost, its as good as kiss of death for them.
The tapes indicate that the journalists exceeded what any normal journalist does (or is supposed to do).
As you rightly say – Unfortunately the journalists show themselves as amenable to doing the unjustifiable and it will be good for everyone to remember that there is one lot that can never be fooled: The people.
The earlier the tainted media firms dis-associate from tainted people (till the full investigations clear them) the better it would be for them. Otherwise, like a bear-hug, they will take down the firms with them.
It is also important for the rest of the media (untainted, so far) to come out in the open and clearly tell where they stand in the debate – otherwise, for no fault of theirs, their fair name would also get tarnished.
So far no one has accused PM Sri Manmohan Singh of corruption. But by keeping quiet (and not doing things which he could have done) his name is spoilt today. The media (untainted, so far) would reach a similar stage, soon – if it doesn’t wake up and pretends as if there is no problem.
Timely and inspiring! TJS shows why he is one of India’s few great editors.
Dear Sir
The Radiatapes have thrown open the nexus between lobbyists, journos, businessmen and politicians as well.
The question of journalist’s integrity has been well discussed and debated.
Should we not as well discuss how ministries at the highest level are shorn of transparency and processes and are run on whims and fancies of politicians. I feel this is an extremely important matter, which should be debated aloud. The Radiatapes on A Raja and P Patel and their doings are a pointer to all that is wrong in the government machinery and it is a sad day when Tata group had to approach GOI through lobbyists. It says a lot not for the Group but for the present Indian Government. When corporates like Tata and Reliance resort to lobbyists, no wonder ordinary indians dread approaching the government for any reason whatsoever.
With your experience and insight, you are best placed to initiate a discussion on this as well.
Regards
Usha
Inspired by TJS’ piece, I have written one on my defense and aerospace blog http://tarmak007.blogspot.com, titled: Sorry, I am a Journalist. Please see.
Yes, people can not be fooled. But what’s the use. They get cinic (I wonder if they are yet), forget and continue as before.