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She also looks back on the stereotypical journalist of
yesteryear — a lonely cynic working to his own rules,
discharging the exhausting responsibility of telling the people
what they need to know, and at the end of the day taking refuge
in hard liquor. All the learning was on-job and by the method of
trial and error. In contrast, she describes today’s journalist
as a peddler of information which is marketed to commercial
advantage. Today’s journalist, she asserts, faces the
challenge of presenting news, adhering to his perception of his
role in society and balancing it with commercial and ethical
considerations. The book, the author asserts, is not so much a
critique of media practices but a means to meet professional
challenges.
However, the book
contains considerable material for the beginner. It shows how a
journalist can develop his skills and translate his knowledge
and understanding into publishable copy. It describes how to
identify and evaluate a potential news story, discusses the
dilemma of publishing something that might embarrass someone,
and the social ramifications of turning a certain piece of
information into news. It also tells the beginner how to go
about the business of gathering news, evaluating news sources,
and how to deal with ‘information managers’.
On the practical
side, the book contains tips on constructing news which
underlines the professional judgement of the writer, assessing
the accuracy of the available information and conveying the
information to the reader in proper style and language. It tells
you what to omit and what to include and emphasises the role of
editing in journalistic writing. This guide to different aspects
of journalism can be a useful reading for those who wish to take
it up as a career.
Terrorism,
the Untold Story
by P.M. Das. Abhishek Publications, Chandigarh. Pages 224. Rs
395.
The title of the
book raises hopes of finding some unknown facts about the
various terrorist networks operating in the world. To that
extent it is a disappointment. The book, which in fact is the
doctoral thesis of a Punjab Police officer, is a study of the
rehabilitation and welfare problems of the families of policemen
who have been the victims of terrorism in Punjab. As a
Superintendent of Police and Deputy Inspector-General of Police
during the days of militancy in Punjab, he is the right person
to voice concern for the police families that have suffered
during the period of militancy in Punjab.
Yet it tells no
‘untold story’ about terrorism in Punjab or elsewhere. A
large part of the book contains a general, rather academic,
discourse on the phenomenon of terrorism in different parts of
the world. It reminds the reader that revolutionaries or freedom
fighters, as the terrorists often call themselves, do not blow
up buses carrying non-combatants as do the terrorists. Freedom
fighters do not kill innocent businessmen or make hostages of
innocent men, women and children, as do the terrorists. It is a
disgrace, he points out, that the word ‘freedom’ should be
allowed to be associated with terrorism. A number of countries
that have constantly borne the brunt of terrorism have
experienced a serious erosion of the quality of life of their
citizens, the author asserts.
Coming to
terrorism in Punjab and its impact on the families of policemen,
he proposes certain steps to be taken at different levels, for
the safety and security of the families of policemen. He
mentions the strain and trauma these families underwent every
time policemen went out in pursuit of terrorists. It ought to
have occurred to him that this is the experience of the families
of all men in the fighting forces. Of course, there can be no
argument over his concern for the welfare of the families of
policemen. He has a set of eight short-term and 25 long-term
measures necessary for the rehabilitation of terrorist-affected
police families. Action on the basis of these recommendations,
the author is sure, will go a long way to ameliorate the
sufferings of the families of policemen killed by terrorists and
unlawful elements. In this contest, he also describes the
position in several other countries as well as in certain states
of India. An appendix contains details of pensionary and other
financial benefits that are available to the bereaved families
of the men of Punjab Police.
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