Journalism is by and large becoming a very attractive profession among the young and despite the rising demand for the profession today, little or no critical literature concerning the subject is available in the market.
The book under review looks at the practices and theories of journalism in the 21st century and contains writings by practicing journalists as well as others on the profession. What we know of journalists today is that they are generally deeply sceptical of all major institutions of the society. Jean Baudrillard had lamented that media practitioners live in a world of pure simulations with no corresponding substance or reality beneath them.
Part I of this comprehensive volume, comprising of contributions from journalists or ?insiders? as well as ?outsiders? or those from without the profession of journalism, discusses the way the media looks at a particular section of the society. Under the head ?Representing the Unrepresented?, the articles deal with lack of media representation of largely ignored sectors of the society such as women, homosexuals and other weaker groups. According to many writers of this section, communication in the public realm oscillates between struggle and submission, as the media witnesses the encounters between the government and the community or their representatives. The media constitutes a third voice and does not always substitute for the people. In general, the ?media traffics in representations? and its audience consumes those words, symbols and images the media uses. For this very reason, the media has a duty and responsibility towards its audience?that of fulfilling its various roles of information disseminator, watchdog and educator. The media at times amplifies the critical process, adding information to it in the form of reports and analyses, and at times, owing to media ownership affiliations, merely represents the interests of politics or commercial groups.
Ammu Joseph, in her article in Part I lays bare the specific problems of economically deprived women in disaster zones, like in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami. She says that wherever disasters strike, women usually pay a high price owing to the prevailing patriarchal structure and unequal social conditions. Again in crisis situations, women'sbodies become the site of violence in the form of rape and sexual harassment. The problems that gender issues often become a domain of potential struggle within the media, with some female journalists becoming increasingly defensive about the need to focus on genders. Others, generally men, become increasingly gender-blind in their observations, in the name of maintaining standards of ?objectivity?.
Geeta Ramaseshan informs media practitioners of the problem of violating the right to privacy of the most vulnerable groups in society, like the physically and psychologically traumatised children, sex workers and HIV-positive persons.
K. Kalpana, for her part, focuses on the largely ?feel-good? journalistic coverage of self-help groups involving Indian rural women. According to her, journalism that celebrates the ?success? of micro-credit in the countryside, invariably ends up hiding as much as it reveals. If only the media practitioners were to delve deeper, they could become aware of the complexities of caste-based stratification, class hierarchies and family relationships, all of which operate within self-help rural groups.
Bharadwaj Rangan laments the fact that humour in journalism could become a non-starter, given the reiteration of the lofty ideals of the profession in every public forum. Considering the constraints imposed by society, like respecting the elders or the fear of politicians, there is little chance of journalists engaging with the lighter side of life.
?Media in Perspective? looks at different kinds of journalistic practices, including photo journalism. Modern photo journalism complements the primary task of professional reporting, providing a state of visual immediacy to go with the formally structured text. At times the modern newspaper requires the effacing of the persona of the journalist. As a result, both the journalist and the photo journalist are seen as experts, not others.
?Future Trends? discusses the ways and means by which the credibility gap needs to be filled in the 21st century. The gap is created by unprecedented integration of multiple media, which can simultaneously market the same message in multiple forms through an array of new technologies.
One solution suggested is the creation of a tradition of media criticism that will reconnect the newspaper to the community it serves. Subramaniam Vincent and Ashwini Mahesh describe the English-language media in India as it concentrates in urban and Delhi-centric issues, except when it comes to ?juicy? subjects like crime or natural or man-made disasters.
Journalism is expected to seek a larger truth than is possible through the mere compilation of verifiable facts, while remaining alert to some of the potential dangers in pursuing this demanding genre of writing. In other words, journalism does hold many promises for journalists, especially for those about to embark on a career but dangers lurk which need to be scrupulously avoided if the basic values of the profession are to be safeguarded. Otherwise the relentless spotlight of criticism will turn once more on journalism and journalists.
(Sage Publications, B 1/11, Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area, Mathura Road, New Delhi-110044.)
