Journalists beware!

In a fitting reply to a question by Arnab Goswami on Times Now on Friday on impropriety of politicians, Amar Singh said, journalists should think twice before asking such questions. Aptly citing the example of Vir Sanghvi, Singh reminded Goswami on the many postulates that the flamboyant editor-turned columnist propagated in his celebrated column Counterpoint in Hindustan Times which fell flat after the Nira Radia expose. 

The writing on the wall is clear: journalists beware, especially when taking high moral grounds!

Over the past few weeks we have seen with utmost disgrace how some of the top journalists of the country have been found to be shamelessly conniving with players in the power matrix for obvious gains, and not so obvious kicks. They have brazenly compromised with their positions to broker deals. They have gone to great lengths to extract information for what they claim “purely journalistic reasons” and colluded with power centres in gainful enterprise. 

In the process, they have put to shame the entire journalists community and paraded them along with dealers and fixers. Of all the expose that we see and read about day in and out, this to me has been the most repelling. Journalism as an institution has thrived on truth and transparency but the ugly facts which have tumbled out of the Radia episode have tarnished the profession beyond repair.

Amar Singh is right when he slams the hypocritical morally superior stance of journalists. For all you know – and journalists should be careful – we may hear many more stories of likes of Sanghvi colluding and conniving with shady agents for kicks and gains.

Time for introspection, and remorse, for journalists.