REPORTERS’ DIARY : Opposition camp preferable to bhajan mandalis

Journalists worth their salt need to write with total objectivity, regardless of which side sees positivity in a situation and which side sees negativity. Only such nispaksh, no-nonsense approach can help unearth facts, which are sacred. Scribes rub shoulders with big netas, have chai paani or daru with them, but compromise heavily on their social life and have very less of quality time with their family members because of the peculiarities of their profession. While talking of professionalism, some politicians do sympathize with journalists who struggle to make ends meet. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who has had a stint as a journalist with RSS’ Jagrithi publication, uttered some good words about journalists on March 5 during the ceremony got up at Ravindra Bharati to confer the Pothuri Venkateswara Rao Memorial Best Journalist Award. Drawing a parallel between politicians, Revanth Reddy remarked that politicians were after ‘more power’ while journalists craved ‘more freedom’. The role of journalists in society was akin to that of the Opposition. Hence, it was possible for journalists to get problems resolved by bringing public issues to the notice of the government, he amplified.
Responding to Revanth Reddy’s advice, a senior journalist commented: “Politicians need to take journalists’ viewpoints in a positive manner; only then can good things happen in society. Otherwise, ‘bhajan’ mandalis would dish out misinformation to politicians blighting the chances of all good things from happening”.