PARALLEL Perspectives

Journalists who inspired a tradition of undying voyeurism

A journalist's responsibility to record news written on the spot provided the corner stone of the social conscience we have agreed to abide by. That will not change. A German sociologist once stated that "to write a really good piece of journalism is at least as demanding intellectually as the achievement of any scholar." What has changed drastically is the intrusion of entertainment into journalism due to the presence of television. News has to be accurate and also entertaining.

The need to create an immediate effect now seems to take precedence over the need to be accurate. The demands of a journalist are many and require not only scholarly pursuit but the ability to keep the reader satisfied. The duality is taking a toll on many who were made to believe that reporting was everything. Journalist's responsibility is much more than that of a scholar.

Due to the 24-hour news cycle that dominates us today, it is more fashionable to denigrate than praise the media these days. The multiplicity of TV channels-over 200 in the US-engaged in what is called the howl of partisan pontification, has somewhat obscured the depth of insight needed to produce a good story. The print media's losing battle due to excessive production cost compared to the internet explosion bombarding the reader has made journalists think twice before venturing into this hallowed profession.

Gush of web search engines

The death knell deemed imminent by the TV entertainers has not lessoned the truth that to be a journalist is to bear witness. Said one critic, it is a fact that no internet search engine gives you the luxurious feel of a well-written story. The news stories that tell of the dying cityscape, the tantalizing aura of poverty-stricken communities trying to survive and the adrenalin rush of courage coalescing when the gripping war scenes are reenacted by great journalists can never be matched by the internet gush of information.

Journalists are voyeurs plying a trade that make them addict to a cause. We get undone by events way beyond our control. National security is often a death trap to a careless journalist. Our chosen subject of truth itself has its own revenge, sometimes turning the tables on those who falter. When the country is at war against a ruthless tyrant who killed and maimed thousands for the slightest of provocations and even without that, the norms of fact finding duty get harshly troublesome. But in the end the elements of oppression, cruelty and force did not get the better of us but were crushed.

Of course, the act of bearing witness by the journalists will continue. It is also receiving support due to cell-phone video images, satellite photographs, through Twitter and other forms of social networking - all extensions of the basic act of truthful reporting that spawned the noble profession known as journalism.

Never again will Sri Lanka see injustice practised as done by the LTTE goons- the image of eyes blanking, life abating and blood blotching across the face of Vanni- and as recorded under trying conditions by the skilled journalists. A plethora of images across the Web brought us closer to the scene but the mainstream media, disciplined to distil will not be displaced.

The world will miss the depth of such rich experience if and when journalism as we know disappears.

Those masters of the art of news gathering and superlative writing like H. A. J. Hulugalle, Tarzie Vitachi, D. B. Dhanapala, Mervyn de Silva, Lionel Fernando, Clarence Fernando, Reggie Siriwardena and Ajith Samaranayake have inspired a host of young Turks who are keeping the rich traditions of journalism alive today. Hopefully, the line of succession will be long and distinguished.