Journalists protest Katju’s ivory tower recommendations

Press Council of India (PCI) Chairperson Markandey Katju has called for a “healthy debate” on determining the “minimum qualifications” required for journalistic practice, along with setting up a committee for the same. To silence his critics – a certain breed of “touchy journalists” – he has now expanded the mandate of the committee to suggest ways of supervising journalism departments and institutes across the nation.

Justice Katju, considered by many in the media as a loose cannon, has been “treading unfamiliar territory” says Sashi Kumar, Chairman, Media Development Foundation. “The media today has propelled from a formal environment to an informal setup, look at social media today. Despite Mr Katju’s best intentions, it would be helpful for aspirants to have backgrounds – any background really – not a specific degree. To make that degree a condition would be unfortunate.”

Journalism students themselves maintain that no degree of education in the world can replace experiential expertise. “The only reason I’m in a journalism institute is to have access to placement opportunities,” says Saurabh, a student of the Times School of Journalism, New Delhi. You can teach theory, but you can never teach news sense or the ability to probe a particular aspect of a story, says the consensus.

“The etymology of journalism basically is anybody who keeps a journal,” says Sankarshan Thakur, Roving Editor, The Telegraph . “The profession is driven by common sense, even though it seems to be uncommon. It is the sheer ability to tell a story from the right perspective”, a skill, surely no ‘bar’ can evaluate.

Looking at the history of Indian journalism, there has never been an explicit requirement for a formal journalism degree to enter the field.

“In fact, I think there should be a law making sure that people without a degree have the right to join the profession,” retorts Ajay Krishnan, Copy Editor, Caravan magazine.

Recently, in an article in The Hindu , Katju made clear that the country’s best journalists without a degree (in journalism) have earned their keep “despite that, and not because of it”.

The freedom of the press is likely compromised if the State plays the role of both the subject (of news) and its regulator. In addition, remedies already exist for the abuse of journalistic privilege.

“Katju is given to sweeping generalisations. His analysis has no basis in the reality of journalistic standards today,” says Sunil Nair, Resident Editor, The Times of India , Chennai. It is perhaps time to let the ethics and objectivity of the profession take precedence over the obsession of getting a “credible degree” as a pre-requisite.

“This has raised the question of our credibility,” reflects Shailaja Bajpai, columnist, The Indian Express .

Whether Mr Katju desires some sort of qualified suffrage, or expects only 10 per cent of the country to vote (and/or become a journalist) considering 90 per cent of its population are fools, remains to be seen. While it may be premature to comment on the awaited recommendations, it will, however, suffice to say, that the journalists’ community has not taken kindly to the insidious rhetoric behind Mr Katju’s ivory tower commendations.

Mr Katju has refused to comment on the story.

(Natalie, Vaishnavi, Abida are students of the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai.)

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