“Credibility of media upheld by sincere journalists combined with a concern for issues of importance about people can bring a real social change,” said Nihar Kothari, Managing Director and Executive Editor of publication Patrika, based in Jaipur, India.
Kothari was part of a panel in a media workshop at the Global Media Conference hosted by Deutsche Welle taking place in Bonn, Germany. The workshop looked at how to cover news for social change: media’s emerging value proposition.
Speaking on the issue, Kothari explained that the future of news organisations lies in moving to higher value-based activities like engaging powerfully with communities, becoming a conduit between marginalised sections and the government. He also stressed that covering news and activism should not be mixed. “Activism is not for journalists. But journalists can convince readers about a problem, cover the issue with stories and keep a sustained effort at generating public concern about the issue.
“Writing on an issue supported by facts and objectivity can result in sense-making and action.”
Kothari comes from a news organisation with bureaus in eight states in India. They boast of a robust network of 3800 journalists and stringers. His news organization, Patrika, has become a media action group over the years. The stress has always been on the community correspondents who bring ground reports that the publication can pick up to become agents of change. The panel emphasised that reports can more often lead to conflicts of interest with the advertisers who essentially support the newspapers and publications by buying advertising space in the publication. The challenge, however, is to balance news and revenue generation without compromising truth.
“We reported on the mobile phone tower radiation problem around areas in Jaipur. The radiation emitted was found to have dangerously high levels unfit to be in a residential area. People living around the mobile tower had developed medical conditions ranging from irritability to more serious ailments.
“A lot of people got in touch with us and asked us for a solution. We ran a campaign for change and wanted the telecom companies to adhere to the norms and maintain radiation standards. Now Rajasthan is the only state in India with no mobile towers in school buildings. That was a court ruling that achieved such intervention,” explained Kothari.
“We ended up losing substantial revenue by our telecom partners. Even the cost of the property made by builders in the vicinity of mobile towers fell. We also got less advertisement from them,” he said.
“There is a choice that publications have to make as to whose problems they want to highlight. In the process we may lose revenue but the truth must be investigated and facts must be uncovered.
“That is real news for change for a critical mass.”
By Akanksha Saxena, India
Photo by Biayna Mahari, Armenia
