In an increasingly polarised world, the safety of journalists is often under threat. The traditional hazards of the job are legal reprisals, rejoinders, and political pressures, to name a few. But now, there is a more immediate and visceral danger: the hostility of crowds when they are incited by their leaders. For reporters covering public meetings or political rallies, this is a legitimate fear.
At such gatherings, some politicians turn the crowd against the media by weaving an ‘us versus them’ narrative. In such a charged environment, reporters risk verbal abuse and even physical violence from an audience that has been conditioned to see journalists not as essential messengers of information, but as adversaries who favour their opponents.
I experienced this recently at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra as it made its way into Maharashtra. During a public meeting in Nandurbar, Mr. Gandhi said, “Yeh media wale app ko sach batate nahi hai (the media doesn’t show the truth anymore).” Instantly, the mood shifted. The crowd began shouting anti-media slogans even as a group of reporters and camera persons present at the site tried to cover the event.
Instead of standing in the designated press area, I had chosen to stand amid the people so that I could chat with them during the rally. But on hearing Mr. Gandhi’s words and sensing the anger of the crowd, I swiftly tucked my media card into my pocket. I realised that being anonymous was wiser than entering a confrontation. This is because, in my experience, an aggressive crowd does not distinguish between one journalist and another or care for which media house they represent; they paint all media with the same brush. To them, all media are biased.
Later that week, I went with two other journalists to meet Mr. Gandhi. I shared my experience with him and said that it was unfair of him to have said what he did, especially since we reporters from different publications had travelled to Nandurbar to cover the yatra, much like how we cover the rallies and yatras of other political parties. He understood our concerns. During the INDIA bloc rally in Mumbai, just two days later, he refrained from directing his criticism towards the media.
To be sure, it is not just Opposition leaders who do this. In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy often targets media houses by denting their credibility in the eyes of the public. In Telangana, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, when he was in power from 2014 to 2023, also employed a similar tactic to incite the crowd. Some leaders don’t allow journalists from certain media houses to attend their press conferences, and if they do, they do not allow reporters to ask questions. Such practices do not suit a democracy.
The primary duty of a journalist is to inform the public about events on the ground that affect their daily lives. As the country gears up for the Lok Sabha elections, it is hoped that the leaders of all political parties will minimise their diatribe against journalists and instead use their rallies to announce policies, promises, and explain why the people should vote for them instead of their opponents.
deshpande.abhinay@thehindu.co.in
