Dr Asangba Tzudir
The need to tell ‘meaningful stories’ that contributes to the progress of a society was the highlight of Dimapur Press Club Jubilee Celebration. With the evolution of times disseminating news and information and telling stories have become more challenging wherein many ‘platforms’ are engaged in manufacturing news and information. Such ‘platforms’ have come to define ‘news’ and ‘information’ while playing into the minds of the ‘consumers psyche’ which in turn shapes the perception.
The real challenge that comes in the way of telling meaningful stories lies in being objective and relevant. Playing into the popular psyche or the perception of the audience does not in any way define the relevance. But for news or stories to be relevant, it has to be objective as much as possible. The objectivity of news is an ideal where reporting should be impartial, fact-based, and free from any form of bias, whether political, ideological, or personal, nor should it be driven by emotions. This objectivity is not only maps the relevance, but it helps in giving accurate information which is integral for allowing the readers to form their own opinions while also making informed decisions.
However, maintaining objectivity becomes challenging because beliefs, cultural background and even the institutional policies gives rise to journalistic bias. More often, editors and editorial choices on which stories to cover will definitely reflect subjective judgment. The media ownership is another factor that will have an impact on the editorial position depending on the editor’s political or financial interests. Maintaining news objectivity becomes very important in the face of controversial issues, and such issues will definitely blow out of proportion if it is dramatised or sensationalised. Objectivity is also about minding the norms because it is easy to fall prey to the societal condition today which is going through a crisis of morality and of ‘no absolutes’ where people in general tend to define things in their own terms and convenience. This is where the press should tell stories by reflecting on the larger norms and values. Only then, the stories will be meaningful.
Objectivity is integral to winning the trust of the public and largely calls for accuracy, transparency and balanced reporting. It also requires killing monotony by providing diverse stories and viewpoints and also separate News and Opinion while emphasising on the newsworthiness. For instance, the hornbill festival, one would wonder what the foreign and national tourists carry with them about the Naga culture and the larger Nagaland. They will tell stories as they saw it. This brings us to the question of what and how Nagas are showing, so also how the press covers the event. The news reporters will also be constrained by time and space where they end up going along with the flow where they have to report what is being presented. There may be variety but Hornbill festival as a Naga cultural space continues in its struggle to find the Cultural soul of the festival which cannot be enacted at kisama.
The challenge of the press then is to tell and also re-tell the many facets of stories that show who we really are, and how we need to evolve as a community socially, politically, economically, religiously, culturally. This is how the press can shape the people’s perception and also help broaden the thought process and shape perspectives. This will go a long way in knowing what is objectively relevant and also important. Telling meaningful stories going beyond the shallow surface into the heart and soul where emotions and feelings run deep. As such, in this age, the press cannot afford to be trapped within conventional reporting. The press as the fourth pillar of democracy which in itself is a big responsibility needs to evolve to stay objectively relevant. But while true objectivity may be unattainable due to human and systemic limitations, striving for it remains a fundamental goal in ethical journalism.
(Dr Asangba Tzudir contributes a weekly guest editorial to The Morung Express. Comments can be emailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
