The people working for journalism in
UP are perplexed over the several incidents one after another in the past days.
Many cases have emerged of big criminal charges registered against the journalists
said one after another in the state like Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Jhansi,
Balia. They have been arrested under gangster act.
Many of these, in the prima facie,
appear that those who have been accused are not innocents. The framed charges,
over the quantum allegation and sections of criminal proceeding, may fluctuate;
but the lawful action cannot be absolutely declined.
The five journalists who have been
arrested under gangster act on august24 in noida have been accused that they
all through their portals and news channels were using for propaganda against
the police administration and officials.
In the preliminary enquiry even such
facts have emerged that they used to raise illegal money by squeezing to some
officers, and a few officers were the share holders of this booty. The assets
bought by this money have also in police scanner.
Even the same charges against two
journalists in the case of illegal mining in Banda district have also been
framed and duo neither can be said innocent, nor can they said that they were
on ethics to maintain journalism so the UP Police have taken such action
against them.
Actually the dignity of journalism
must be on the verge of review now because the journalists in UP are seen as a filthy.
There are hundreds of such men. An army of alleged journalists are working for
the news papers, news channels and news portals in the most district of the
state and the courage of professional middlemen on the name of journalism is
high in the state capital of UP. Many of such alleged journalists of Lucknow
are that when a birthday party or marriage ceremony of their baby or wife is
organized at their own home, the presence of top leaders, secretaries and
higher officials can be seen there. The photograph of such occasions on social
media works as a catalyst to promote their middlemen profession easily. Many of
these might have been journalists in the past, but they are now political
leaders and run their middlemen services on the name journalism.
It is unexpected to see at the list
of accredited journalists in UP. 1200 journalists name have been enlisted here
today, but a few years ago there were mere 200 names in the lists.
The name of rape offenders, petrol
pump owner and contractors are in the list of accredited journalist list. the
layman leaders of political parties, the builders and the contractors are also
in this list. No matter there are tough rules to get the state level
accredition in journalism, yet it is so possible. If the recommendation is
poured from the high level, there is no hurdle to issue the accreditation.
The purpose behind this accredition
is that there can be set the frequent visit to the chief minister office and
the secretariat without any obstruction. If a vehicle pass is issued, there
shall be toll free passage, the open domineering of solace over the district
officers, the maximum concession in journey and the rent free home in
government coloney etc which reveals that all these people have no relation
with the journalism and many of journalists are working serious journalism
without accreditation in Lucknow while for the middleman working there is need
of accreditation.
The scum face of journalism is not a
sudden appearance; what has been observed in the political scenario declining
in the recent years is the result of, and has affected it rapidily. As Akhilesh
government left power, Yogi had announced that his government would remove all
the waste on the name of journalism, but after
two and half year of its tenure the list has increased 25%.
But the accreditation to the
ineligible journalists or being police action against the middleman profession
working on the name journalism is not the indicator of bad journalism in UP.
There has been even several difficulties for the dedicated journalism. The yogi
government is also involved in its own tune
. The certification can be found from those litigations which have been
established against the journalists in the different district of state. These
cases in the first sight can be said that these were established with the
malafide intention to maintain the unsolicited pressure over them.
The example of ‘Mirzapur Namak Roti’ case
cannot be denied, which hurts to
journalism. Mr Pawan Jaiswal,
Journalist, had exposed the serving of midday meal to the school children. Mr
Jaisawal’s report had exposed that in a primary school at Mirzapur district,
the children were served bread and salt in place of Daal and vegetables. The
district administration, taking cognizance of this incident, took action
against the responsible person, but when the matter reached at high level, the
administration lodged FIR against Pawan Jaiswal for hatching conspiracy against
it.
The seriousness of case can be
better understand from the absurd statement of district magistrate that if he
was a journalist of print media, how did he shoot video clip from mobile phone?
CM Yogi says instead to take action against the district administration, “yes,
there are corrupt people in state media. The action against these fellows is
the needful.” However UP DGP says that the department does not harass the
journalist. The matter is under investigation and the law shall bring tardy
justice.
The functioning style of Yogi
government in this case was criticized. The incident where took place the
guardian of did not send many days their
children for study in protest against harassment of that journalist. From the
journalist Associations upto the political parties in the country—all condemned
the government; in the wake of the resentment PCI shall send an investigative
team to Mirzapur. Mr Sharat Pradhan accepts it an endangering premonition and
says, “If the government thinks that it will suppress the truth by harassing
the journalists, this is its big blunder. The steps shall hone the writing of
journalists. The social media shall be a medium of bitter truth highlighter.”
The statement of Sharat Pradhan is
not mere of Mirzapur case, but it has been constantly seen for the past few
time. An FIR had been registered against five journalists in a village of
district Bijnour alleging them mere for compiling of fake news because they had
published a news that a Dalit community had been barred from taking water from
common resource. In the same way an FIR against a journalist had been
registered when he published a news without number plate of Scorpio four
wheeler of a police station head officer in Azamgarh district.
Another journalist (Urdu) in Lucknow
had published a news over Moharrum preparation, which annoyed the
administrative official in the state capital so that one morning all the
officers reached to the home of that journalist to threaten him.
None can object from this thing that
any journalists can be allowed the fake, about blackmailing or supporting to
the disharmony, news; but to do so
should be in etiquette. It is correct that everybody today is a journalist in
the era of social media. Everybody has the right to express himself and people
going out from this purview can be contemplated under legal action through the
administration, but the administration has also must introspect or review the
dealing with the wrong doer under legal extent. Yogi government should
understand that media is whistleblower like a presure cooker’s. it displays the
resentment of public against government. Now the government prevents this
whistle working, the cooker shall burst. The government of Uttar Pradesh has
remained the half of its tenure. If it act to maintain the constructive works
of public interest instead to quell the truth, the state shall elevate and the
government shall be better to maintain its confidence among the people. Otherwise
the real journalist shall have been working in its own tune.
