When Editors deceive Reporters

A debate is emerged in Northeast India following the incident of dropping of an Assamese editor from the Prime Minister's 10-day trip to America and Europe. Haider Hussain, the editor-in-chief of the highest circulated Assamese daily, Asomiya Pratidin was invited by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA of India) to be the part of 35-member media team accompanying Dr Manmohan Singh to United States and France. But Hussain's visa was delayed because of that he could not board the Prime Minister's flight on.

Dr Singh had left abroad on September 22 with a number of engagements like addressing the 63rd Session of the UN General Assembly, attending the UN High Level Event on Millennium Development Goals, and meeting the political heads of China, Italy, Namibia, Pakistan, the United Kingdom with US and France for bilateral relations.

Dejected Hussain later flied back to his home city, Guwahati. Talking to a section of reporters in Guwahati, Hussain asserted, “It was a big humiliation for me. I am shocked that the External Affairs ministry did not forward necessary initiatives when the US Embassy in New Delhi informed that they needed more time to clear my visa application. It only shows how helpless our government is before Washington.”

Hussain arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday and appeared for the visa interview on September 17 at the US Embassy. But his visa was unbelievably delayed. Later an MEA spokesperson Vishnu Prakash informed Hussain that the Embassy would take few more time to clear his visa.

“Following the incident, for the first time in my life, I have felt that I am a Muslim and a minority. I had no such feelings earlier and it was the humiliation that forced me to rethink on my religious identity. In fact, our government did nothing to expatiate my visa procedures,” added Hussain, while declaring that he had already sent protest letters to the Prime Minister's Office and also the MEA narrating that he was deeply hurt at the unfortunate incident and was forced to think that he was a minority.

However, the journalists in Guwahati have different views in this respect. They argue that Hussain's visa was delayed by the US Embassy, meaning the Washington, might have some reservations against him. It may be because of his Muslim identity or his indirect connection with the banned United Liberation Front of Assam, as ULFA is a terrorist organisation in the eyes of the American government.

Hussain was chosen as a member of the People's Consultative Group (PCG) by the ULFA leaders to pursue peace talks with New Delhi three years back. The PCG, led by Dr Indira Goswami- an award wining Assamese writer- met the Prime Minister Dr Singh with other high level officials three times in the national capital during 2005.

"If you are not given visa by an Embassy in New Delhi, the government of India has no role to play. That is the decision of the concerned foreign nation. Same thing may happen to any one foreign national, where the Indian Embassy in that country can delay or finally reject his (or her) visa application," argued H. Mahanta, a city based journalist cum political commentator.

Similarly, many of the journalist-editors expressed unhappiness when Hussain played a Muslim card. They pointed out that, if he could avail the opportunity to accompany the Prime Minister for the series of important events in US and France, it would have been an excellent example, where the Indian Foreign ministry paved way for a Muslim editor to take the advantage.

Dr Jesim Raja, an editor of a Guwahati based periodical, Raijor Sangbad, also disliked the comment of Hussain and urged him not to take illegitimate advantage of being a Muslim. He commented, "I do not think, a senior editor like Hussain should make such statement. At least, I have never felt that I am being ill treated because of my religious identity."

Another major question that arises here, why the editors (occasionally the proprietors) of the region always rush to accompany the President, Prime Minister or other VIPs to foreign countries? The invitation letters for such events naturally come to the editor, but it hardly means that he himself should join the program. Rather the political reporters or correspondents deserve the opportunities, as they could do justice to the assignments.

Om Thanvi, the editor-in-chief of Daily Janasatta, a sister publication of the Indian Express group, raised the issue few weeks back in Guwahati. Delivering the 8th Kamala Saikia memorial lecture on August 9 in the city, Thanvi questioned the editors, why they could not leave such opportunities to the efficient reporters.

“If they (editors) are not tracking the international politics, how they could cover such important events efficiently and authentically for their newspapers. Accompanying a VVIP to a foreign country should be treated as an important event for news and certainly not as a status symbol,” Thanvi added.

Speaking to this writer, a senior public relation official in the PMO informed that the invitation letter from his office normally addresses the editor, but asking for a representative of the newspaper to cover the PM's trip.

"We normally want diplomatic correspondents or political reporters to accompany the VVIP for such kinds of important events in abroad. The letter might not be treated as an individual offer to the editor," the officer clarified. He however added that they cannot make choices. It is absolutely an editor's prerogative, he concluded.

“The editors always play safe games. They put deaf ears to the grievances of the reporters (also sub-editors). Most of them in Assam neither enjoy a satisfactory salary structure nor the job security. But when it comes to an opportunity (read a foreign trip), they do not hesitate to grab on it. This is really unfortunate,” commented R. Baruah, a senior journalist and a former newspaper employee's union leader based in Guwahati.

For records, over 80% journalists and non-journalist newspaper employees do not possess proper appointment letters in Assam. Not to speak of the statutory wage board recommendations, they have to work with lump sum money as salaries and with no PF and leave facilities.

The concerned authority (read labour commissioner) and government remain mute spectators to grievances of the media persons. And shockingly, not a single editorial has been published in Assam on the issue of deprivation of media persons (under the statutory labour law) in the long history of newspapers in the region.