Bhutanese media irresponsible?

Posted On January 21, 2012

By Pema Tenzin

I literally grew up with cattle in a village; from about nine or ten of age, I can remember herding cattle with my friends. Those days were rather adventurous. Sometimes I had to go deep in the jungle alone to locate a missing animal. The search would continue late into the night till I found the beast. If not caught, the animal would sneak into neighbors’ fields and destroy the crops.

Now I am a journalist. And the job is not different from herding cattle. To get right information from the right person, a journalist is sent from room to room in the same office. If I come back without news my editor looks at me with a deadpan expression, which means my credibility as a go-getter is at stake. This is the plight of all journalists.

Two weeks ago, Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) hosted a debate on the Bhutanese media. The topic of the debate was, “Is Bhutanese media responsible..?” Frankly I did not watch the debate to the end. I was too embarrassed and righteously angry to do so, given the rapidly increasing votes people sent in to declare that Bhutanese media is not responsible.

The votes got me thinking: Is Bhutanese media really irresponsible? Judging by the people’s opinion, the local media really doesn’t have much credibility. This is a sad fact. How many times have I not heard these barbs: you journalists always misinform, give wrong information to the public, and are not sensitive to the national interests! I have also realized, in the course of my daily job, that people have a deep suspicion of journalists and are wary of anything journalists do.

Traditionally speaking, a journalist’s work is to inform, educate, and entertain people. Newspapers also give voice to the voiceless, and create sufficient public space for social debates, dialogues, and discourses. A journalist is supposed to report without fear or favor, and impartiality is the way of life. A news article has to be balanced, with representation from all the affected parties. And the piece has to be objective. In a nutshell, this is journalism.

So, when people sent those overwhelming number of ‘NO’ votes during the BBS debate, I instantly thought: aren’t we (me and my colleagues, seniors and juniors, in both print and broadcast media) doing just that? And yet, we are seen as irresponsible by the people.

Then I thought of the difficulties we face in the line of our duty. Just to gather a simple news piece, journalists run from post to pillar, chasing the right official, who often turns out to be total bigot. Excuse me, but they act like one, often. If the mood of the official is good, then you are in for some luck. But if he happens to be some ill-tempered jerk, you are in for a bad day. Then there are instances when sources bang their phones on us.  They decline to give appointments, and very often anything and everything we reporters ask becomes sensitive. Surely, not the best job to be in.

But then, media is so very important to all societies. Its influence cannot be undermined. And there are examples all over the world where the media has played vital role in all spheres of life, be it in politics, development, business, and justice. In Bhutan too, the young local media is struggling to do just the same: keep people informed, and help them make informed choices in life.

I am sure there would have been blips now and then. But who doesn’t make mistakes! Given the constraints that Bhutanese journalists work under, there are chances of not getting the best out of them. This is where the government must intervene, make things better for the industry. Simply licensing every Tom, Dick, and Harry, and demanding a world-class performance from them is not the way to go about building a strong and vibrant media in the country.

The public, who are the ultimate consumers of news, must also support the media at this stage. They must at least have a modicum of faith on us. And they must accept some inherent flaws. In a small society like ours, people are not aware how media houses are struggling to serve the society. Some media houses, to be precise the newspapers, are on the verge of closing down yet they are holding the strong current of financial constraints.

The final opinion from an insider like me is that the Bhutanese media and journalists do deserve some applause for working very hard despite numerous problems. If the people place no faith on media, then it is a mortal blow to democracy. If there is media, there will be a vibrant democracy. Media and journalists are the life blood of democracy. Because journalists provide information that enables a free citizenry to make the choice of who governs them and how, and journalists ensure that those who govern will be accountable to those who elect them.

On their part, the media must frequently introspect about their roles and responsibilities and strive to improve at every opportunity possible. In Bhutan, we are lucky that we have a supportive government at the moment. The media industry must therefore take advantage of this support to improve and excel in what they do. We shouldn’t forget that His Majesty the King himself has been constantly supporting the fledgling industry, and it’s His Majesty’s dream that we at least live up to our mandates.

The next time there is a similar debate on BBS TV, I fervently hope there will be more ‘YES’ votes. If not, I might consider going back to the jungle, trying to locate where on earth the unthinking beast has strayed.