I was touched and humbled by the responses to my last column, “ >Maintaining a critical distance ” (June 30). Writers and some readers who called my office said that while the Readers’ Editor has been responding mainly to criticism from a small section of readers, the time had come to record the opinion of the bulk of the readership that finds the role of the Readers’ Editor valuable. They felt that the series of self-correcting mechanisms instituted by the paper should be elucidated on a regular basis, as this newspaper is probably the only one in South Asia to have a management-mandated office of a news ombudsman whose role is valued both by the readers and by the journalists of The Hindu . Owing to space constraints, let me share the opinion of four readers.
V.K. Eswaran from Chennai wrote: “I wish to inform you that one of the important happenings in The Hindu is the appointment of the present ombudsman. You are performing your role with dignity and in line with the objectives of the appointment, and have at no time taken any side other than the readers’ … It is indeed a pleasure to read your column every week. The reader eagerly looks forward to Mondays. Many of my friends agree with me when I say that one learns a lot [from the column] about the functioning of a national newspaper, the editorial policy, selection of news and opinion and layout of the publication. The Hindu reader is given a genuine, sincere and objective analysis and is therefore well informed…”
Raghavan. M from Mangalore wrote: “ …The Readers’ Editor column is perhaps written with a tinge of indignation. Readers think that The Hindu is their own paper… The columnist is definitely doing a good job and I eagerly wait for the Monday issue for this. Keep up the tradition.”
G. Venkatakuppuswamy from Bangalore opined: “I refer to your column ‘Maintaining a critical distance.’ It requires enormous courage to come out with such an article.Many fail to realise that the Readers’ Editor is not a cheerleader.”
And George K. John from Coonoor had this to say: “I am humbled by your frankness and objectivity, and above all your politeness.”
I think it is incumbent on my part to explain the role of the news ombudsman beyond what I have already touched upon in various columns since September 2012. My role has both boundaries and possibilities. I respect the prerogative of editorial freedom. Neither my office nor I interfere in the editorial process. The perimeter is set by the terms of reference and I do not believe in overreach. But this is not a limiting exercise. It opens up many avenues to look at the best practices of journalism, and draws from myriad sources to push the envelope for the mutual benefit of readers and the newspaper.
Sisyphean task
One of the media scholars I look up to is Carlos Maciá-Barber, the vice-chair of the journalism and media studies department at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. As an outstanding researcher on the issues of journalism ethics, he wrote an essay, “How news ombudsmen help create ethical and responsible news organisations”, for the anthology The Ethics of Journalism, brought out by The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. He sees a similarity in the mythical figure of Sisyphus, who was eternally condemned to roll a boulder up a mountain and then watch it roll back again. “For the ombudsman, the task is corrections, and the errors committed by journalists and those in charge of news organisations repeat themselves again and again,” he said.
He has eight edicts for the effective functioning of an ombudsman. First, ombudsmen should act in an ex-officio capacity. Second, ombudsmen should put their official duties ahead of their own careers. Third, ombudsmen should assist journalists’ self-evaluation and self-regulation. Fourth, ombudsmen should promote the right to information and citizen participation. Fifth, ombudsmen should foster media literacy. Sixth, ombudsmen should guard the rights of journalists. Seven, ombudsmen should be given the power to ensure that editors meet their obligations. And, the important final point: ombudsmen should not yield to depression or despair.
This is an interlocking and interdependent narrative where every strand is committed to the common cause, good journalism. Readers, journalists, editors, the management, the marketing team, and ombudsman share a value system that celebrates the flow of credible information without fear of internal and external censorship. If there is an element of success to the functioning of this office, it is due to this unflinching support from each of these strands that make the media universe.
readerseditor@thehindu.co.in
