A recent controversy surrounding two renowned Indian journalists has brought the question of media ethics to the forefront again.
Openthemagazine.com, a website for the weekly current affairs and features magazine Open, has published a transcript of a telephone conversation between NDTV news channel’s famous editor and presenter Barkha Dutt and controversial lobbyist Nira Radia.
A transcript between Hindustan Times Advisory editorial director Vir Sanghvi and Radia is also published.
The transcript shows Dutt making statements on many political events, which were apparently classified information and had the potential of influencing the political landscape in the nation.
While most of Indian media decided to stay silent on the issue, NDTV has vigorously defended Dutt, claiming that the remarks were “defamatory”, but never denying that it was indeed Dutt’s voice.
Popular sentiment is against Indian media on this, as newspapers and TV channels – generally very aggressive in covering controversies – skipped the event that involved one of their own journalists.
These sentiments forced Mint, a business daily in collaboration with the Wall Street Journal, to issue a statement on why it chose not to cover the issue.
However, readers are not convinced, and most have called the clarification “lame.”
“When 2 of your own people get caught, the entire media has decided to remain silent. The same people who would otherwise jump the gun and run full day breaking news about the silliest of issues,” writes a reader on the Mint website.
Meanwhile, Dutt clarified her stand on her Twitter page.
“Gathering information against the backdrop of a political story is not unethical. Nor is using that information to get more information,” she wrote.
The question is whether a reporter has the liberty to share privileged information on controversial topics with sources to gather further information, and whether a casual, everyday conversation has been blown out of proportion in some sections.
