Last week, during ‘The Huddle’ in Bengaluru, readers came up with an impromptu Open House and asked three probing questions. How does dominant public mood affect the media in general, and The Hindu in particular? Does the media reflect public opinion? If the media’s focus is different from that of the public, isn’t it an admission of disconnect?
They cited the earlier editorials against the death penalty to recent developments such as the popular upsurge for jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and widespread opposition to V.K. Sasikala’s decision to replace O. Panneerselvam as Chief Minister. My earlier column, “Undeterred by malice” (August 1, 2015), covered much ground about the death penalty and explained that the opposition to it had been the policy of this newspaper from as far back as the Bhagat Singh trial in 1929.
In the case of jallikattu, it is a fact that the newspaper took a contrarian view if we were to consider the mass protests at the Marina alone as an indicator for the support for this particular sport. The warnings of this newspaper’s editorial “In fruitless pursuit of permanence” (January 22, 2017), proved to be prescient: “It is time the protesters took a step back and let the legislative and judicial institutions determine the future of jallikattu… Two people were tragically killed and over 120 injured in the jallikattu at Pudukottai on Sunday. A culture that legitimises such mindless and unnecessary death is not Tamil culture. In fact, it is no culture at all.” In the subsequent jallikattu events, more human casualties were reported and it is evident that neither the state machinery nor the organisers of the sport have mechanisms to stop fatalities.
In the tussle between Mr. Panneerselvam and Ms. Sasikala, I was asked repeatedly about the need to speak about the former’s failure as Chief Minister during his earlier stints when people are against Ms. Sasikala, and also the need to hint at his inability to retain power in the two editorials, “Backroom to the front-stage” (February 7, 2017) and “The revenge of the underdog” (February 9, 2017). The objection was to two specific sentences that did not fully endorse Mr. Panneerselvam: “On the two occasions he stood in for Jayalalithaa, after her disqualification in 2001 and her conviction in 2014, Mr. Panneerselvam slowed down the administration to almost a standstill”; and “It might not help Mr. Panneerselvam much in the short term, but could have long-term implications for Ms. Sasikala”. The newspaper never glossed over the growing resentment against Ms. Sasikala — either in its reports or in its opinion articles. The consequent developments proved that popular mood alone is not enough to retain power.
One may use any term to describe the opinion of the people on a given issue at a given time: popular opinion, will of the people, or collective mood. This opinion is essentially plebiscitary in nature, and it generates a binary option. The opinion, despite its approval by the majority, forces the public sphere to opt for a reductionist position. In this dual chromatic narrative, there is very little space for other hues. On the other hand, the composite narrative of the newspapers brings into its core the contentious and contradicting pulls that define our public space.
The Committee of Concerned Journalists (CCJ) — a consortium of reporters, editors, producers, publishers, owners and academics — has for long argued that a newspaper is an interlocking public where pluralism is its core strength. Its study revealed the complex role journalism has to play in order to purposefully reflect the multifaceted socio-political reality.
Helping the reader
The Hindu recognises the importance of the dominant public opinion. It takes care to reflect that in its reporting pages. Whether it was the upsurge for jallikattu or the disenchantment with Ms. Sasikala, reporting did cover the prevailing sentiment exhaustively. But, its role does not stop there. It needs to dwell upon the other factors that may have huge consequences. It needs to provide the context for any development. And, that is the precise role of the other sections like the editorials, the opinion articles, the news analysis, and data-based stories. And, this is crucial for the public to make informed choices.
readerseditor@thehindu.co.in
