The face of journalism has undergone a
cataclysmic change in the last thirty years, The credit must be given to the
technology, particularly to Google. Pre-Google journalism was slow but more
credible, demanding and labour intensive but post-Google journalism is fast-paced but not so credible and requires much less labour. Earlier one had to
wait for almost a day to get the newspapers, which often carried stale news,
but one gets the update at every minute. In India, for some 35 years ago,
the only electronic media that we had were the government-controlled
All-India Radio and Doordarshan. But when the doors were opened for private
channels, it was the second phase of the revolution. However, after the advent
of the Internet and Google, there is hardly any need for newspapers or even
Television Channels because one carries the gadget of news in one’s own pocket
in the form of a cell phone. Not only news but views of different
types are available on the mobiles, and this is the reason that Mobile Journalism
(MOJO) has gained unprecedented popularity. It has caught the imagination of
the readers, audience, and viewers.
Post Google Journalism has given rise to digital
journalism, and this is the many important newspapers and magazines of the
world that have stopped their print editions. Needless to say that the
digitisation of newspapers has expanded the reach of the newspapers beyond
geographical boundaries. For instance, earlier one could read the Assam
Tribune-a leading newspaper of the Northeast in the limited areas. Now the
social media has become more powerful than Print of Electronic Media but since
it has no gatekeeper, it has taken the credibility of the media to rock
bottom.
Working Journalist Act was Indeed a
Revolutionary Act
For the journalists in India, the year 1952 was the
turning point, when the Government decided to constitute the First Press
Commission headed by Justice G C Rajyadhyaksh, which provided for the enactment
of the Working Journalist Act, 1955, which properly defined the journalists,
and the provision for the Wage Boards for the revision of wages of the
newspaper employees from time to time and also for the enactment of the Press
Council to ensure that the norms of journalism are not violated. To be fair, it
worked well for some time, but it has now no relevance. The definition of
journalists has completely changed, Wage Boards do not hold any good and the
same is the case with the Press Council of India. Even otherwise also, the
Press Council was a toothless tiger. It has never had any powers to regulate
the erring newspapers or journalists or those, who have been creating problems
for them in their free and fair workings. As a matter of fact, the Press
Council of India should have been disbanded long back and replaced with an
all-encompassing Media Council.
According to the Working Journalist Act, a person
whose principal avocation is a journalist and who is employed as such, either
whole-time or part-time, in, or in relation to, one or more newspaper
establishment is a journalist, but it does not include any such person who is
employed mainly in a managerial, supervisory, or administrative capacity.
However, in the new definition, as provided in the new Code of Occupational
Safety, Health and Working Conditions, Electronic, Digital Media and Web
Portals have also been included.
It must be mentioned here that the definition of
the Working Journalist has been amended and enlarged only on the constant
struggle of the Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ) at all
available fora. It submitted a comprehensive memorandum to the Parliamentary
Committee on the Labour Ministry, which incorporated the journalists of all
genres in its definition. Now the revised definition is that
"Working Journalist" means a person whose principal avocation
is that of a journalist and who is employed as such, either whole-time or
part-time, in, or in relation to, one or more newspaper establishment, or other
establishment relating to any electronic media or digital media such as
newspaper or radio or other like media and includes an editor, a leader-writer,
news editor, sub-editor, feature writer, copy tester, reporter, correspondent,
cartoonist, news-photographer and proof-reader, but does not include any such
person who is employed mainly in a managerial, supervisory or administrative
capacity.
March of Technology must be Embraced for the
Betterment of Journalists and Journalism
However, it must be accepted, in all fairness, that
the digitalisation of the Media has given the biggest setback to the unity and
struggle of the journalists across the board, but the march of technology can
neither be stopped nor should be stopped. The only way out is to make maximum
use of the technology for the betterment of journalism and the journalists.
Trade Unionism has become the biggest casualty. The Damocles’ sword always
hangs on the heads of all those who try to unionise the journalists.
Previously, the newspaper employees used to rub shoulders with non-journalist
employees, who used to provide rock-like support in the struggle. Now
it is almost impossible because printing has lost much of its sheen.
It holds good not only for the Portals and Electronic but also for the Print
media. The mushroom growth has further created a lot of problems for
the uniformity in wages and other facilities for the journalists.
The newspaper proprietors have already been denying
legal rights to employees like wages as per the recommendations of the Wage
Boards and other rights as available to them under the labour laws. So, it will
be futile to expect much from them. Now the chances of getting the legal rights
have further become bleak. Assam Working Journalists Union is a premier
organisation of the journalists, not only in the Northeast but it has been a
role model for the journalists of the entire country. Its outgoing President
Shri Keshab Kalita, who is also, fortunately, the Vice-President of the IFWJ
has set an example of the struggle for the journalist community. We hope that
the new leadership will continue to get his guidance and inspiration for
safeguarding the interests of the journalist community. IFWJ extends its best
wishes to the new leadership of AWJU.
Parmanand Pandey
Secretary General: IFWJ
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