The Hindu Business Line : Human faces in the news

I wonder how often reporters in big newspapers the world over go out and talk to the average readers on the street. It is imperative for us in the media to engage with the reader, create debate and dialogue around development, at least on a weekly, if not daily, basis.

LINDSAY ROSS: Championing the social conscience of news reportage. - Bharathi Ghanashyam

The Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) is situated in London's historic and hallowed Fleet Street, once the home of, and even today synonymous with the British National Press. The CPU is an association of newspaper groups, newspapers and news agencies from 49 Commonwealth countries represented by their proprietors, publishers or senior executives.

I met Lindsay Ross, the first journalist to hold the post of Executive Director of the CPU, at her well-appointed office, which is presided over by a large golden-hued portrait of the Buddha. With disarming forthrightness, Lindsay spoke about a wide range of issues that spanned freedom of the press, development and media, and the responsibility vested with the media vis-à-vis HIV/AIDS and the future of newspapers in the face of the onslaught from television and the Internet.

Lindsay began her career as a junior reporter with the Nottingham Evening Post in 1972 (in her opinion, the best way of learning how to write because of the mentoring process that a small newspaper affords). She reminisces, "My 35-year tryst with journalism, as I negotiated my way through various writing jobs, not necessarily only with newspapers, has been a series of happy accidents rather than planned career moves." In the course of conversation, she also admits with unabashed candour that she is not a graduate, and has probably performed better because she has not got distracted with academics!

She worked at various times in press relations for agencies, and as press officer with the international agency that regulates sailing, a passion with her. All these assignments were valuable in that they taught her writing across the board.

In the late 1970s Lindsay took on the responsibility of running the UK bureau of International Herald Tribune (IHT), the only global newspaper in those days. "It was a classic management job, and I travelled, wrote, and handled advertising and circulation. IHT was at the cutting edge of development, and the 10 years I spent with the paper were exciting and wonderful years."

Marriage took her to Africa in 1990 where, as she says, "family commitments took precedence over my career as a journalist. Work, however. I wanted to, so I took on assignments as consultant to government projects on healthcare. It was easier for me, as I came from a medical background (my father was a renowned pharmacist in the UK), and had a fascination for health in developing countries of the Commonwealth, particularly lack of primary healthcare for the common people."

Lindsay's work sensitised her to the realities and the severe disparities that challenged communities in developing countries. "I was very humbled when I saw that things we in the developed world took for granted were often beyond the means of the nomadic tribes amongst whom I was working in Africa. They were almost a forgotten segment of society."

Lindsay found that doctors and medical facilities were scarce and for 300-400 sq miles sometimes there were none to speak of. Health, education, and livelihoods... in fact, everything was a problem for them. As she says, "It's as if they lived in a parallel university. They could so easily drop off the radar and not be noticed."

Mainstream development

Lindsay has looked at grassroots initiatives from close quarters and the rigours of actually working on the ground have resulted in a richness of experience that has seeded in her a commitment towards development journalism. It has also equipped her to write about development from the position of an insider; she is that rare writer who walks the talk and is convinced about the need to mainstream development through the media.

Another in the series of happy accidents that mark her career is her current position at the CPU. "When we returned to England after my father died, I was at crossroads again. I wanted to remain connected with the media but not as a mainstream journalist," she recollects. "That's when, quite by chance, the then director of CPU who knew my campaigning nature asked me to come and work for the other side, and put something back. My brief was to take hold of the CPU's Press Freedom Programme, develop it and raise the profile of the organisation. CPU had always espoused the cause of press freedom, but hadn't done much about it. The challenge of making a difference fascinated me."

Press freedom was high up on her priority list, but so was development. The unique element she brings to her (in many ways activist) job of heading a press union is the passion she displays for people and development.

"The future of human life is tied to sustainable development. People matter, so do poverty, health, livelihoods, climate changes and HIV/AIDS. Good journalism cannot ignore these vital issues. Prof Amartya Sen has oft been quoted as saying that `no substantial famine has ever occurred in any country with a relatively free press'."

Lindsay wonders "how often reporters in big newspapers the world over go out and talk to the average readers on the street. It is imperative for us in the media to engage with the reader, create debate and dialogue around development, at least on a weekly, if not daily, basis. It helps them become aware of what is going on in their own country."

She says HIV/AIDS is one of the biggest development concerns that the world is facing today. It touches young lives, affects the productivity of nations, leaves children orphaned and poses enormous challenges for the HIV-infected and their families.

She has this take on the media's response towards HIV: "It is certainly the pandemic of the century. I think the biggest problem with HIV is that it is tied to an extremely sensitive issue like sex. It is difficult for the media to report HIV/AIDS in a manner that is not prurient, coy, judgmental, or plain dismissive. Newspapers need to demystify HIV/AIDS and address social and cultural taboos surrounding it. There should also be a strong focus on the fact that HIV is preventable. The media should also encourage efforts to talk openly about issues related to sexuality."

She is candid about the value and limitations of celebrity journalism. "That there is demand for celebrity journalism in newspapers cannot be disputed. Readers like to know what celebrities are doing. It is, however, a question of how much they want. In the UK, for instance, it is evident that people have had enough of Princess Diana. If a newspaper does not pulse changing reader interest quickly enough, then they are surely on a downward spiral."

All for the printed word

Lindsay is a firm advocate of the printed word. "Without meaning to undermine the importance of radio and television, one has to recognise that sound bytes are transient. In contrast, the print media will always have a future, as newspapers have a shelf life and fill a special need. Newspapers are tangible and one can go back to them even a week later. This, however, is a position that newspapers cannot take for granted, as readers today are challenging the omnipotence of newspapers. It is therefore important for newspapers to be on top of the situation, know what their readers want, and where their market lies. If newspapers disengage with readers, they will make themselves extinct."

She has a high opinion of the Indian press and thinks that India has some of the best newspapers in the world. "I would want to tell young Indian journalists not to be content with celebrities. I would tell them to go out and cover real people, take up worthwhile issues and concerns. Put human faces into their stories, get involved in the daily lives of people and give them something they want to read. Human faces make people put their hands in their pocket to help."

To know more about CPU, log on to www.cpu.org.uk

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