What is it about?
This commentary is an attempt to appreciate that how Journalism being a political activity cannot be bereft of ideological tilts. This understanding is evolved with an analysis that how Journalism scaffolds the politics, governance and government issues and concerns, the processes of decision making and the influence of ideology and its interventions in the choices of the Government and thereby its decisions. Subsequently problematizing the above, this commentary questions the efforts and pedagogy of teaching political journalism. This contributes to our understanding of the discourse of Journalism as a profession or as an advocacy passion. It further helps us to explore the quagmires of ‘teaching’ political journalism where neutrality is hailed as a virtue but ‘voicing’ any issue would be hollow without any ideological commitment or a utopian future envisaged by the endeavour of political journalism.
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Why is it important?
Political journalism is concerned about the political partnerships and the power distribution of the government. A government with majority at Centre in a country like India deals differently with political negotiations both at domestic and international level than a government with the support of other political parties. It is interesting for political journalists to interpret the decision-making monopoly and leadership over the challenges of ideology. The establishment of a regime on a vested ideology is the ultimate act of power in Indian politics. The learners aiming to be practitioner or a participant in journalism must comprehend this to valuably contribute to the discourse and praxis.
Perspectives
In journalism, the practitioner whether the professional or the passionate would always be guided by the socio-political-historic-economical forces which would shape her thought and ways of thinking. This would create priorities, hierarchies of the concerns and perspectives of the journalist. This is exponentiated to affirm that ideology is the corner stone or a mile stone of a worthy journalism. The quagmire for the teacher of journalism is to teach objectivity as a hallmark along with passion for ‘empowering’ people with knowledge with ideological neutrality.
Prof. Pradeep Nair
Central University of Himachal Pradesh
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This page is a summary of: Ideological Neutrality(!), Asia Pacific Media Educator, December 2015, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1326365x15604251.
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