The Delhi Union of Journalists is shocked but not surprised at the overreaction of Union Minister Smriti Irani and the Dainik Bhaskar management to a journalist’s request for a news byte.
The cameraperson Vipin Yadav, along with other local media persons, had waited for the Minister to visit Krishnanagar Chauraha in Amethi. When she came but was leaving without speaking to them, Yadav asked her for a comment. Her reaction was unfortunately arrogant and annoyed. She threatened to complain to the newspaper ‘malik’ about his temerity. The episode was on camera and it’s circulation led to the immediate and blatantly unfair dismissal of both Yadav and the Dainik Bhaskar stringer Rashid Hussain who was also present for the Minister’s visit.
Dainik Bhaskar tweeted that they had no journalist in the area. Irani added fuel to the fire by tweeting that the journalist himself was ‘fake’. While publicly humiliating the journalist the newspaper management privately demanded the return of the Mic ID from Hussain. The ID is the major proof of employment, in the absence of a formal contract.
The episode focusses attention on the precarious nature of employment offered to local journalists by media outfits. Stringers are badly paid or unpaid and often there is no formal contract. They are simply given an ID card and if they are lucky some equipment. Others have to invest in their own cameras and microphones. Some are paid per newsbyte. Many stringers work merely for the prestige and access to local officials that the job gives them.
The Delhi Union of Journalists demands that such employment be formalised and decent remuneration be given to local journalists who are our grassroots news network. They enable information to percolate upwards. Without them there would be no rural or small town news, only information from state capitals where usually correspondents are employed.
Instead of humiliating journalists the Minister is expected to be sensitive to the tough conditions under which journalists work and to advocate decent employment for the profession.
