When you hear the word journalism, what comes to your mind? It’s the image of a reporter with a mike, or a pen and a notepad in her hand, eagerly chasing an official or a politician for that all-important quote. But, journalism is much more than just talking to someone, writing a report and publishing it or broadcasting or telecasting it.

Today, media no longer simply means the traditional forms of newspapers, television, radio, books and magazines. In this age of digital technology, it also includes cable television, telephone and computer systems.

World changes so too journalism and the role of journalists. The colonial newspapers in our country mostly carried news items concerning the welfare of the British in India. There were more of advertisements, and public and personal announcements. During the pre-Independence days, Indian newspapers and magazines primarily addressed the freedom struggle. Gandhiji himself published two newspapers: Young India in English and Navjeevan in Gujarati. Similarly, Raja Ram Mohan Roy was one of the pioneers of the vernacular press. Most publications were subjected to censorship and many even forced to close down.

With Independence, our establishment and private enterprise were mostly engaged in building a new India and the press too played their role by focusing on development issues. With democracy taking a firmer root and politics becoming more vibrant, the press again reflected the change. Different newspapers and magazines had diverse viewpoints about political, economic and social issues. That only shows how our media mirrors the plurality of our free and dynamic society.

Today, we have come a far way. The amazing technological advancement has changed the world totally. John Herbert in the book Journalism in the Digital Age, says, “Journalism is in a state of upheaval because of this convergence of technology. Today journalists send news through a complex web of telecommunications that includes satellites, optical fibre cables and copper wire. There is a legitimate concern that local cultures may be destabilised by the flood of foreign signals that rain down on countries of the region.”

So, today, in this age of what we call information overload, what is the role of a journalist? The answer lies in the fact that a journalist is a very responsible servant of the society. You may be aware that the press, or what is the mass media today, is also known as the Fourth Estate. The other three being: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.

This underlines the enormous amount of responsibility vested on a journalist. She not only reports, but also moulds public opinions on topics of current importance. The policy decisions of the government can change as a result of the coverage in mass media. Newspapers and television not only reflect the current lifestyles of people but they also influence people into changing their lifestyle.

Once upon a time, the most important role of the journalist was to disseminate or convey information, because that itself was a major task. Today, with computers and their enormous amount of data storage facilities, organisations and even individuals have a lot of information at their fingertips.

Today, people don’t have to wait one full day for the next day’s newspaper to know what happened the previous day. It is often said that there is nothing much to report for a journalist. Everything is seen on television. People get to know events within a couple of hours of its happening. They see it all, often live. It is here that the role of a journalist gets redefined in the present-day context. She has to look not just for news, but also “for news beyond news”. She has to be more analytical and more interpretative.

A typical recent example is the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. The technology was so advanced, that most people around the world saw live the second plane crash into the WTC. While TV showed the events as it happened, journalists tried to interpret and analyse the incident. Who could be behind it, why it happened, so on and so forth.

We can say that a journalist has three major roles to play: one, as a watchdog, two, as an opinion maker; and three as a mirror. We can go over them briefly.

Watchdog

This is one of the most important roles of the media. It is keeps an eye on the society, especially on the powers-that-be. Don’t we hear a number of corruption cases being exposed by the media? Lapses on part of authorities are brought out and often remedial measures taken thereafter.

Can we then say the media acts as a super cop? Not really. That will be a very uncharitable description of the media. I am often asked why newspapers write so much about the wrongdoers but after sometime everything is forgotten. “Why don’t you do something?” I am asked. My answer is that media can only expose wrongdoing, but can’t prosecute wrongdoers. That is the duty of designated authorities. If they too fail, media can report that also, but not beyond that.

Opinion maker

Even in this digital age, the primary role of a journalist continues to be that of an information disseminator. Only that today, it takes much less time to convey news. As she reports, she builds an opinion among the public. This becomes more important when controversial social, political or economic issues are involved. For example, dowry deaths, female infanticide, child mortality, illiteracy, corruption, criminalisation of society, issues like Cauvery, Veerappan etc.

Such reports build up public opinion among people, which lead to some action. Recently, one of our national newspapers reported that a commonly prescribed drug for fever, Nimesulide, had been banned in foreign countries because of adverse complaints. After the report was published, the Union health ministry initiated action to review the use of that drug in India. Like this, often publication of reports themselves trigger corrective action by the government or the concerned organisation.

Sometimes, on social issues public interest petitions are filed in courts, which direct the government or officials to take corrective action. The widespread public opinion built up by media coverage sometimes results in even in policy decisions being reversed. This most commonly happens after budgets are presented. And, finally, governments come and go in a democracy, like India, on the strength of public opinion created by the media.

Mirror

It is often said there is nothing so permanent as change. Nothing remains the same forever. Everything is in a transition. And media plays a crucial role in this. As mentioned before, information is the most powerful weapon we have today. People have also become so addicted to it that they crave for more information. It could be information regarding some new home products, or about a new restaurant, or maybe anything that concerns an individual’s style of life. These little bits of information add up to a big influence on the personality of an individual or the structure and working of an organisation or even a government.

Over the years, we have all changed the way we live. For example, unlike a generation before, children today make phone calls themselves, they are aware of many more things than we were. Not just children, the elders of today, are also much different from the elders of yesteryear. The way we dress, the way react and the way we understand: things have all changed, and are still changing. It is all because the media mirrors the gradual evolution of a society.

In a country like India, journalists have a bigger social role to play. It is okay to publish and telecast glossy and fashionable lifestyles of the rich and famous. It is nice to read about them and also watch them on TV. But in a country like ours, where even after a good half century of self-rule, a large number of people are still deprived of basic facilities like food, shelter and clothing. Forget villages, even in big cities, there is acute shortage of water and electricity. Plus, our infrastructure facilities leave a lot to be desired. A journalist has a responsibility to constantly highlight these issues. She has a great role to play in shaping the society.

And, is her task easy? Not always. Knowing all too well that information is a powerful weapon, sometimes, officials, who have things to hide, avoid journalists. It is not easy to extract information. Journalists covering sensitive and controversial issues, face threats of harassment. And, worse, often people forget the issues that are highlighted in the media, and target journalist who are only a conduit of information.

Now, to conclude let us summarise a few points we have touched upon.

One, the primary role of a journalist is to report events accurately.

Two, her role gets redefined depending on evolving social and political contexts.

Three, today, TV and Internet bring news instantly. Thus, a journalist needs to go beyond the obviously visible news.

Four, in a country like India, there has to be a more focussed approach towards highlighting development issues, rather than luxuries of the elite.

And, five, journalists have to make use of the technology to the fullest and tactfully overcome the inherent obstacles in carrying out her job responsibly.