Why not a CAT for politicians, Mr Tewari?

Every sentence written by a journalist is audited by public. Readers and their reactions are reports and exams.

Lata Jain

Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tewari on Monday suggested a system of licencing for journalists to ensure certain minimum standards are followed by the profession. “Rather than imposing a common curriculum, stakeholders should consider a common examination like in the case of legal and medical professions where a licence is required to pursue the profession,” Tewari told a conference on news media standards and education. “Maybe a case needs to be built up for certain standardisation,” he added.

The media industry draws people from various disciplines such as economics, which reinforces the need for a standard protocol, the minister said, wondering at the same time whether it would be fair to subject them to another examination.

Tewari pointed out the “fundamental ambiguity” regarding classification of media as to whether it is business under Article 19(1)(g)(freedom to practise any profession) of the Constitution or any other activity which is entitled to the protection of Article 19(1)(a)(freedom of speech and expression). He said a “conundrum” that has been bedeviling the media sector in India is whether we have freedom of the press or freedom of ownership of press.

“After 67 years of independence as we meet here today, in the wake of possibly a downsizing or rightsizing which is taking place, in one of the broadcasting platforms and at a point in time when the wage-board recommendations have been taken to the court by the promoters, I cannot help but conclude that media is a business and the rights of the citizens and the rights of the media barons fall in different buckets,” saidTewari .

“And when oversight mechanisms or regulatory models are even discussed in the public domain, it is seen, as if an assault is being made on the freedom of press,” he said. The Minister said this mindset needs to change as according to section 19(6), there should be reasonable degree of oversight in the interest of general public at large.

“But, I don’t think they will resent it,” he said at the conference organised by Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies.

This is not the first time that there’s been a proposal for setting benchmark for media professionals. In March, Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju, a retired Supreme Court judge, said that there should be a minimum qualification for journalists mandated by the law.

Most people tweeted and questioned if the minister who mooted this idea can think of exams for politicians? Entry test for journos. Agreed. But, first entry integrity test for MPs, MLAs and ministers. They live off public money, was another query on the Facebook. Manish Tewari wants licences for journalists. What about a licence for ministers? A bad journo can at least be fired but what about politicians?

Tiwari’s idea did not sink well with industry veterans. Journalism cannot be compared to medicine or advocacy. It is a totally different self-policing. Such governance is not acceptable, says Pasya Padma, social worker and activist. A journalist in a democracy enjoys unbridled freedom of expression and power. It is important that only genuine and deserving people get the privilege of that unbridled freedom, says a professor at Osmania University.

Adds Jamuna Parchuri, journalists need no exams. Every sentence written by a journalist is audited by public. Readers and their reactions are our reports and exams. The owners or the seniors chuck them out if the news they publish is not authentic. Individuals from every profession read news and depend on the information. That is a real test more than an exam.