Technology makes a newsroom out of the world

The Third Investigative Journalists Asia Conference 2018 I attended in Seoul last week (as a trustee on the board of Indiaspend) was an eye opener in multiple ways if the brave and marvellous work being done in this area of the media in out continent.

There were more than 400 delegates from 48 countries in attendance, and apart from the opportunity to network and share experiences, this number shows that this particular genre of journalism – led by better access to data thanks to the information age we live in – is becoming more and more robust.

Two things came through clearly from the sessions and workshops I could attend and informal conversations with sundry people over the fourday conclave. One, there is a growing resolve among journalists (especially the young), to challenge the establishment or pedantic, time-held ₹truths’ bereft of proof; second – and this dovetails into the first – of the dramatic rise in influence of digital platforms vis-à-vis conventional media.

The biggest impediment in uncovering the truth comes from the establishment, be it government (largely, or government bodies) or any other. Almost every delegate spoke of the threat from authority – to their media house or them personally – in their investigative pursuits.

Of course, as we know, this problem is not restricted to Asia. Happily, every delegate I heard or spoke to was unwilling to back off from such impediments. In fact, they said that this only made them more determined.

The rise of digital platforms for disseminating information/stories becomes even more relevant in the context of investigative journalism (or, as seen in the huge traction the #Metooindia movement has got on social media) because it dismantles old, restrictive media constructs that depend on formal newsrooms et al.

Even an ordinary individual with sparse means can reach the desired audience albeit with some effort. Also, web-based platforms provide immediacy in dissemination of stories as well as unrestrained geographical reach, which in turn can create a cascading effect to give the pursuit of truth greater momentum. If the intention is not to run malafide agendas, this can only be for the good.

Conference apart, the highlight of this trip was a brief conversation with a cabbie who wanted to know if I was from Mumbai. Breaking into a grin when I confirmed, he mentioned in faltering English that he had once been to this city a couple of decades back and never forgotten it.

“How’s the Thieves Market?” he asked, which had me stumped… albeit briefly, following which I reminded myself of the place he was referring to. It’s been a really long while since I’ve been to Chor Bazaar.

Sense and solution A story that caught my attention in Thursday’s edition of Hindustan Times was about the hundreds of people who showed up at the Byculla Zoo a day earlier, to protest against the felling of trees at Aarey Milk Colony where the proposed Metro Railway shed is to be built.

This was at a hearing set up by the BMC, where protestors were also asked to submit their suggestions and objections to the proposed shed. This is a laudable practice, but the crux lies in how the deadlock can be resolved.

The HT report says that on Wednesday, 7,000 more suggestions/objections were added to the 33,000 that had been received previously. That adds up to a whopping number in which there will surely be quite a few that address the issue practicably.

Extreme positions make the metro project a development-versus-environment issue. But it need not be one against the other if the perspective is holistic, and the solution meets requirements of both facets, to mutual satisfaction.

What is being done with these 40,000 suggestions that the BMC has got, to not make this exercise mere tokenism, is important. Is there a highpowered committee – comprising the state and its bureaucracy, environmentalists and urban planners – which can help in providing a solution?

The starting point should be that any development work must factor in comprehensively the effect it will have on the environment. That is now standard practice globally, what with enough and more evidence available of how disastrous it can get if this is ignored.