Journalism can be traced to an era, much before the Industrial Revolution and even in World War which is so talked about still today, because of dedicated men who reported every move of a winning army or the dilemma of a losing army, to the people of the world. It is the pure passion that moves any civilization and no wonder the beauty, the aura, the culture and the rich tradition of journalistic work, have evolved out of a deep-rooted passion. If we search our core habits, we journalists, work through hearts. It pains us, to see injustice done and that’s why, out of a strong emotional reporting by many TV anchors, critics have given the terminology of Media Trails.  Yes, there are rotten eggs in every industry and I am not saying, we the media fraternity, are all saints but, what I want to argue today, is about a genre, that has made the Fourth Estate, a most respected, highly responsive, quite ethical and most responsible. These are directly the result of the huge expectations of the people, who read and watch our reporting.

We face the everyday challenge of reporting events, which is directly or indirectly related with people. News is made by people, and not by UFOs or fictions. We write stories, stories about what, is it a fictional piece of our imagination or factual information? Of course, on facts and figures which take lots of leg work to collect genuine information, validate the facts in the best possible manner with non-governmental available resources. It’s an art and we writers create a piece, where we need to listen actively, record correctly, ask intelligently and compile in a style that defines our individuality. All these need passion, a pang of hunger and an ever-humane nature where we can create impact in our small ways.

In my recent conversation with Gautam Mukhopadhaya, Ambassador of India to Myanmar, while he was visiting Manipur with the Myanmar team during the Manipur Sangai Festival- he made a comment to me, ‘You journalist wants everything to happen yesterday’! Yes your Excellency, we want everything to take shape quickly, we want things to move as they should and we are the ones who fight for people’s rights because we are very passionate people. We are always in the sun, in the dirt, in the firing line. My group chairmen told me once, ‘Pressmen are a friend of all but we have no friends’. We can not be biased, we can not be blind and we will keep reporting facts as we are accountable to our readers and viewers, who read and watch, depending on our report to be fair and true; not biased and inclined! We just can not. Can we? The Ambassador has given a great compliment to our fraternity and also proves how passionate we are. We want everything to happen yesterday!

Today many want to be a journalist, and a number of media houses, small or big, starting on a daily scale; social media and the internet give an option to place our views; many channels have developed the concept of citizen journalist, and historically a commoner, always had the option of writing letters, to the editor. Many are trying their hands on Facebook, Linked In,  Twitter, blogs etc., and viewing strong opinions on their surrounding or anything under the earth. Here, I would put a piece of my caution to all, journalism is a serious piece of art and if we cannot culture it, do not understand its purpose and do not strive to excel in it, we will not be able to make a mark. Let us understand the pains, the seriousness and the responsibility we shoulder, when we write for our newsprint. It is not a hobby, it is not a pastime, it is not a stop-gap arrangement, and it is also not meant to exercise power; it is for building lives, creating impact, reporting facts and letting the world know. I would quote from Mark Twain here “If you tell the truth, you do not have to remember anything” unquote. Please believe in it, my friend!.

To make the story short, as our editors always do for those passionate guys who write long, let us understand that we journalist needs to be very informative, read a lot, understand the world views, how life moves and civilization evolves, need to know facts and happenings around us. We need to keep ourselves updated with real facts and not updated only on Facebook.

I sometimes imagine how our veterans grew up without Google and worked on their wonderful works. Today, we Google for everything and anything. But let us also understand that true knowledge flows when we culture it and become knowledgeable. We have to counter a multi-faceted environment ‘from safety pins to satellite’, to quote an advertisement punch-line of yesteryear and do not know whom we will meet tomorrow! So, we need to be much more evolved, knowledgeable in the true sense, stay alert and be informative and intelligent. I always believed that asking intelligent questions, mastering the art of communication and having an analytical bend of mind will take us, a long way and excel in life, and not stay mediocre.

Most important we need to be passionate and think from heart and not mind. Use the mind to counter shrewd minds but stay focused on our mission. Our mission is as – Edmund Burke, looking up at the Press Gallery of the House of Commons, said after the French Revolution’Yonder sits the Fourth Estate and they are more important than them all’

(This article was first contributed by the writer in the Souvenir launched on the 39th Foundation Day of Manipur Press Club.)    

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