WHEN THOSE WHO EXPOSE ARE EXPOSED

By Kaavya Gupta 📷Cartoon By Aarushi Jhamb

‘Ethical journalism’, I believe, is a myth. It is imperative to distinguish journalism from ethical journalism for I believe that the latter is a truer form of the practice as it is accompanied by a set of ethics or morals that are an attempt to make it as pure as possible. ​ ‘Ethical journalism’ refers to some standard principles that one should abide by while practicing journalism. This is done to prevent a journalist from compromising their moral integrity. In the pursuit of convincing the audience of one’s opinion, or revealing the truth, one should not lose their moral compass which guides their actions.

Thus, the five ethics come into play: truth and accuracy, independence, fairness and impartiality, humanity and accountability.

​Unfortunately, in today’s modern world, the degradation of these values is palpable. Journalism can be seen to take several ugly forms, ranging from a journalist’s personal opinion over-shadowing the reporting of reality to journalists lying in reports to make the story more riveting and stimulating, in an attempt to further their own careers. The case study taken up here is an example of how media outlets may breach their own independence and the impartiality of their content simply for a remuneration or for the expansion of their agency. As the practice of breaching the journalist’s code of ethics is becoming commonplace, certain sting operations are frequently carried out by organizations like Cobrapost, in an effort to moralize journalism and expose those who practice it in an unfair manner.

Cobrapost’s Operation-136 sought to reveal to the public how media houses succumb to the inclusion of a hidden propaganda in their reporting as long as it translates into their monetary gain. The organization feigned a business prospect, offering a handsome remuneration in exchange of the dissemination of Hindutva agenda. An undercover agent had posed as a representative of an unidentified ‘sangathan’ (or organization), thus giving the false impression of his association with RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh). The operation further speculates in the agencies’ involvement in illicit financial flows through the adoption of money laundering methods. With the exception of two Bengali newspapers, Bartaman and Dainik Sambad, all other media outlets which were subject to this ‘experiment’ had accepted the (fictitious) organization’s proposal.

This operation conducted by Cobrapost has emerged as a rather significant one for it exposed one of the biggest Indian media conglomerates, The Times Group, which owns the Times Now channel, The Times of India and several other media platforms. The undercover reporter has recorded discussions between proprietors such as Vineet Jain (the Vice-Chairman of The Times Group) regarding conduction of transaction using black money by routing payments through other business houses and families. This specific aspect of the entire exposé stands out primarily due to the dynamic element of hypocrisy present in it, considering Times Now’s campaigns in favour of demonetisation – which has been elucidated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an effort to combat the problem of black money.

This exposé has definitely had a grave impact on The Times Group’s reputation and has most likely caused a change in the perspectives of at least those readers who are genuinely concerned about the authenticity of the news they receive, whom I would like to term as ‘active readers’. I believe that this has, to a large extent, betrayed the reader-reporter relationship which is built on credence and respect. Furthermore, it has robbed The Times of India of its unique selling point, namely, its credibility in reporting. 

However, at the same time, the situation can not be viewed from a single lens. Just like an ethical infringement can be speculated on the media houses’ part, so can be the existence of a personal vendetta from Cobrapost’s side. Another aspect to it is that the cachet and the reliability of the source of the exposé, that is Cobrapost, itself can be questioned. A Times of India representative had stated as a response to the event that they were making an offer only to “reel in” the Cobrapost reporter and “reveal his antecedents”. The retaliation of The Times Group can therefore, be justified to a degree. The representative, Mritunjay Kataria, had further added that the company was well aware of the “nefarious” activity and played along as part of a “reverse sting”. While this explanation seems valid, its veracity can be subject to additional explication taking into account that the representatives know how to sway the audience and persuade them to agree with their perspective. 

In view of the current events, the definition of and outlook on ethical journalism is becoming blurred and distorted. Unethical journalism is a prevalent affair and should be viewed as what I propose, a ‘supplementary issue’ to almost every other issue that exists. The reasoning behind is simple, because journalism is intrinsically a communication of these issues, and without proper reportage, there can not exist accurate analysis, investigation or resolution.  Lastly, it is also imperative to recognize that the effect of degradation of journalism ethics is adverse and extends beyond journalists and media institutions. It hence, emphasizes on the need for the public to be ‘active readers’, as expounded earlier, and also for the youth to be proactive and not only preach, but more importantly, practice ethical journalism. 

True and ethical journalism is always unbiased. However, this notion may be easily misinterpreted because the purpose of journalism is not to merely inform the public of the current affairs. 

Ethical journalism is not be partial but may evoke humanity. It does not profess an underlying agenda but, connects with readers through stories, experiences and significant world developments that may trigger an epiphany regarding certain values and emotions, in the reader’s mind. It does not dictate the readers’ thoughts and act as a command over their feelings rather, it leaves a profound impact on the readers that causes them to ponder and think beyond on the matter while providing them space to form their own opinions. Thus, journalism is a tool - a powerful one when used judiciously, but a dangerous one when exploited.