In a joint press statement, the National Alliance of Journalists, Delhi Union of Journalists, Press Club of India, Kerala Union of Working Journalists, Press Association, Indian Women’s press Corps, Andhra Pradesh Working Journalists’ Federation and the Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists specifically criticised the deterioration of working conditions, including excessive working hours and inadequate compensation.

Their demands include restoring the Working Journalists’ Act, extending its coverage to digital media, and establishing an independent Media Commission to address journalists’ welfare and harassment.

The organisations also emphasised the crucial social role played by journalism and the need for stronger protections for journalists’ rights.

“The day is an occasion to reflect on the collective achievements of the Indian press, especially that of the working journalists and press workers over the years. Despite epochal developments like the constitution of the first National Press Commission that led to the enactment of the Working Journalists’ Act, 1955 and the Press Council, in recent years, the press as a whole has seen several setbacks in the form of arbitrary lay-offs, unfair labour practices and deteriorating working conditions. Bodies like the Press Council have been rendered redundant over the years. The press, just as it was censored during the British Raj under one pretext or the other, faces similar pressures. Additionally, its corporatization poses a severe threat to the rights of journalists and to the nature of journalism itself,” said the joint statement.

The organisations noted that journalists and press workers today are expected to work beyond the hours specified in the Working Journalists (Conditions of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Rules.

“Journalists are expected to be on call at all hours of the day and work simultaneously on the print, digital and electronic space – all within the same pay package. Even though the Act excludes editors, reporters, photo journalists and camera persons from ‘shift’ duties, some prominent media groups have introduced the biometric pattern of attendance, making physical presence of correspondents mandatory in office for a specified number of hours”, the statement added.

The journalist organisations also demanded the restoration of the Working Journalists’ Act in its original, and that it be extended to cover electronic and digital media as well.

Courtesy: Newsclick

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“My dear colleagues, my Express family:” the note from CEO George Varghese, was warm when it bagan. “Before going even a word further, Thank You. To each one of you, across the Express Group, for underlining the best of times in the worst of times.”

This could have been a lovely email from the big boss to colleagues, perhaps announcing an annual bonus, or maybe just a farewell note. Instead it was something that shocked employees of The Express Group, publishers of the Indian Express newspaper, and once it began circulating in media circles it sent shockwaves there too. The IE employees were informed that their salaries would be cut, in different percentages for different salary slabs, and it was not clear how long this would go on. The salaries landed on time, and the employees were grateful. “I am just glad I have a job, blessed that I did get my salary on time, I can manage with a cut for now,” said a journalist working with the paper, “it could have been something worse.”. 

Perhaps, this is a sign of things to come, especially for newspapers, as newsprint and the printing process is expensive and depends on revenues generated by selling space to advertisers. In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, journalists in India, and across the world, have found themselves on the frontlines of a war like situation never seen before. There are no standard operating procedures to cover Covid-19, the respiratory disease that results from the highly contagious virus.  

Varghese writes: “The commitment that you have shown in the past one week has been inspirational. Despite the countless logistical challenges, our colleagues in Editorial, Marketing, Advertising, Administration, Circulation, Press, Production, IT, Scheduling, GFML, BPD, IEOMSPL (our digital company) have moved whatever needed moving to ensure that our newspapers are out each morning, our online is live 24×7. Yet, we have not been able to reach all our readers.Vendors are insecure, RWAs are insecure, the rail, road and air lockdown has grounded distribution, businesses are shut down, we have been compelled to reduce print orders in all centres – this is absolutely unprecedented.”

He explains how the newspapers advertising revenues have been hit, and that the situation may get worse in the future. This is when the “temporary salary cut” is announced.

The proposed reduction is for those who earn more than Rs 5 Lakh (annually it is safe to assume), and it ranges from 10% to 30%. Leading by example,  CEO Varghese, Chief Editor Rajkamal Jha, and the chairman Viveck Goenka, and directors Anant Goenka and Vaidehi Thakkar have taken a 100% salary cut.

But no one is sure for how long this reduction in salaries will continue. “What worries me is that if the situation continues this proposed reduction in salary will also not be enough for us to see through this crisis. If the situation does not improve I will have no choice but request all of you to make more sacrifices,” writes Varghese.

“Maybe they will have layoffs, maybe we too should be ready for something similar,” said a senior journalist working for another leading national daily.  “Is this the finance managers way to balance profit margins?” asked another journalist. There is no gentle way to say this, the near future for Indian newspapers looks scary. 

On March 31, veteran journalist Malini Parthasarathy, co-chairperson of The Hindu Group’s Publishing Company, had also posted Indian Newspaper Society’s  appeal to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Information and Broadcasting Minister Praksh Javdekar. “As newspapers struggle to keep up the momentum of news dissemination especially vital in the critical national war on COVID, Indian Newspaper Society appeals for some critical reliefs to the newspaper industry.” she stated.

As newspapers struggle to keep up the momentum of news dissemination especially vital in the critical national war on COVID, Indian Newspaper Society appeals for some critical reliefs to the newspaper industry. ⁦@narendramodi⁩ ⁦@nsitharaman⁩ ⁦@PrakashJavdekar⁩ pic.twitter.com/ViOdwHcTgZ

— Malini Parthasarathy (@MaliniP) March 31, 2020

Interestingly, days before that she along with other senior journalists, and editors had been a part of an interaction with the prime minister. She had then posted:  “We were privileged to be part of PM @narendramodi’s interaction with print media representatives. His strong commitment to ensure that India does not succumb to the COVID pandemic is demonstrable. He has strategic clarity on how to move forward. We are certainly in good hands!”

We were privileged to be part of PM @narendramodi’s interaction with print media representatives. His strong commitment to ensure that India does not succumb to the COVID pandemic is demonstrable. He has strategic clarity on how to move forward. We are certainly in good hands! https://t.co/ajYmy2oBQX

— Malini Parthasarathy (@MaliniP) March 24, 2020

Prime minister Narendra Modi had also shared his views about the interaction on twitter and on his website. 

Earlier today, interacted with those associated with the print media. We discussed many subjects relating to fighting the COVID-19 menace and the role media can play in times such as this. https://t.co/XKqEWrxYOp

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 24, 2020

Apart from noting that “newspapers carry tremendous credibility,” etc., the PM said that it “was important to tackle the spread of pessimism, negativity and rumour mongering. Citizens need to be assured that the government is committed to countering the impact of COVID-19.”

Reports of the  meeting started an interesting debate about the role of media too, “Hours before lockdown, Modi asked print-media owners, editors to refrain from negative COVID coverage,” reported The Caravan Magazine.

According to the note posted on the PM’s website, “journalists and stakeholders from Print Media appreciated the role played by the Prime Minister in communicating effectively and leading the country from the front. They said that they will work on the suggestions of the Prime Minister to publish inspiring and positive stories. They also thanked him for reinforcing the credibility of print media and noted that the entire nation has followed his message of coming together to face this grave challenge.”

“India’s media universe is vast, perhaps the biggest in the world: More than 17,000 newspapers, 100,000 magazines, 178 television news channels and countless websites in dozens of languages. Thousands of Facebook pages call themselves news publishers, and YouTube is filled with local bulletins on everything from real estate trends to police raids,” said a report in The New York Times .

However, if  the Indian Express salary cuts are any indicator of the days to come, survival of scores of publications, and the thousands of employees across departments may be at stake. A Covid-19 casualty not many had foreseen. 

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Many politically active people love Facebook. It has made their need for expression more vibrant and has widened the reach of their deeds and words. Everyone now can have a channel or a medium for broadcasting their views and opinions. This is the so-called ‘democratic’ aspect of Facebook. This is the subversive, even supposedly radical, feature that it is supposed to possess. We are cornered today by Big Media like CNN and their indigenous offshoots such as Times Now. Facebook has come along to save us from these ‘nasties’.

Many people are on Facebook because they claim that it makes their access to, and consumption of, information easier. It is a one-stop shop for their information-needs. They consider it a vital link in the chain between the info-makers and themselves. This is true enough but as censorship of progressive issues by Facebook has shown, information is not without filtration. If we are seeking ‘real’ info about the world and the events in it, Facebook might not be the best way to get it. The Internet was touted until the early 2000s as a great “information superhighway” that would democratise knowledge and spread information equally throughout the world. Because of this perhaps many governments have initiated legislations to curb the power and scope of the Internet, such that today it has lost much of its liberating potential.
 

That potential is further weakened by the policemen – beyond the State agencies – which includes Facebook. Facebook has for all purposes become the Internet for a large number of people globally. The Internet might still in reality be a highway of information but its traffic is being controlled and directed in subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) ways. Facebook is one of these shepherds. Its advocacy for faster ‘lanes’ (speeds) within the Internet, the odious Free Basics project and its courting of vested government and corporate interests that are willing to pay to promote their products, within its programme, all point to a deep desire for control by the company.Maybe one can ‘subvert’ it but I doubt this; it seems that the Facebook revolutions that were claimed by many are no longer affecting much change. Maybe that is because they were probably never realised because of Facebook, in the first place.

Further, what Facebook has given us is not just information but a glut of it. Any credible news is immediately followed by oppositional info, such that we are drowned in the possibilities that all sides are equally and entirely correct (or wrong). This destroys in effect all possibilities of political change that might arise. For instance, the BJP might be accused of a scam and immediately someone emerges to accuse the INC of the same. The issue then becomes oppositional/polarised instead of progressive; the issue should be about corruption and how to tackle it; not about BJP honesty vs. INC honesty.  
 

Because of the swiftness, and more importantly copiousness, of the information via social media, many of us forget to cross check or investigate the claims that are made. Traditional ‘long form’ journos lose out and wild outrageous news floods us within seconds. Facebook is not the only one to blame here of course but its ubiquity is something that must be looked at suspiciously.

Has Facebook really made our lives better than it was before it came along? I seriously doubt this. It has just stepped in and simplified our ways of connecting with each other but it has herded us into groups where we can all love, hate, dislike or like something collectively.Experts have rightly called Facebook an “echo chamber”, where one can only hear one’s own beliefs being articulated in a positive manner; real criticism is not allowed.

 Facebook claims that this is not true and that people can make up their own minds about what to follow or like. But how easy is it to be on “automatic” mode, how seductive is the choice of no choice! Many of the groups, the majority of them, I’d have to say, don’t want to ‘mix’ with other groups. Facebook has made our borders more distinct when it could have chosen different models for user interactions. But that is what you get when you bring scale into the picture, I suppose.
 

Facebook is the prime example of a digital multicultural society with no integration/interchange, it mirrors reality, in the online realm; and much like the real world, power is held firmly by the few on top.

My own personal issue with Facebook stems from my belief that it has not enhanced creativity at all but severely reduced it to fit into a status bar. I mean this in relation to writers and not really audio-visual people.Facebook has destroyed the ability of writers to frame a thought beyond a few lines. The instant gratification of the ‘likes’ that our friends would (no doubt) bestow upon our oft-times reactionary silly ‘sweet nothings’ is too tempting for many to defer.This robs us of pursuing an idea further and making it more complicated, developing its body. The dangerous lulls of uncritical praise have stunted ideas into shrubs when they could have been trees. The immediate response that one might get from across the Facebook platform has made it addictive and appealing but is that why someone should write or create? There’s the thing we must ask ourselves.

Poets and wordsmiths might be put off by my assertions. The platform, after all, encourages brevity – the soul of wit. Many would also say that Facebook allows a free and wide distribution of their works which is one of the positives. Maybe at the stage of distribution it could be used effectively but a profile, for me, distracts the creative process a lot (unless the author is researching and writing about Facebook!). These are rigid arguments arising out of my rigid belief in the writer’s process. By arguing in this manner, I make my own beliefs clear and it is up to the listener to decide for herself whether she also feels the same way. You needn’t ‘like’ this.

Courtesy: raiot.in
 

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