HICKY'S DAY
BENGAL GAZETTE DAY

Agra January 29

Journalism students of Central Hindi Institute today paid tributes and lauded the role of the founder editor of India's first newspaper Bengal Gazette, James Augustus Hickey, who set "the adversarial role of India's Media" back in 1789.

Speaking at the symposium on "Media Neutrality: a myth," Prof Kesari Nandan said "there had indeed been a steep fall in the standards and direction of mainstream media in our country. Neutrality and objectivity were defined to suit the convenience of the media promoters today." 

Prof Raj Shankar Sharma, said neutrality of media was indeed a grey area and called for extensive debate, as economic pressures were setting the course of direction the media industry was traversing."

Mohan Singh, a young journalist said "neutrality of the media was a myth. The TRP mad race had changed the focus and agendas were set early." 

Akanksha Agarwal, a TV anchor, said "undoubtedly neutrality of the media was an ideal and a noble cause to aspire for, but changing life styles of media persons, and the profitability concerns were promoting questionable trends like paid media and puppet media." 

Talking of James Hickey, the first newspaper editor of India, Amit Mishra, a journalist of Firozabad said "Hickey truly was a fighter. He invited the wrath of Warren Hastings, the then viceroy who bullied him and put all kinds of obstacles in the publication. In a general way, India media has continued to play the opposition's role, exposing ill practices and corruption in higher positions."

The consensus of opinion was that the propagandist zeal of political patrons of the media had affected objectivity and neutral stance of journalists. 

Recalling the contribution of James Augustus Hickey, founder editor of India's first newspaper Bengal Gazette, 1789, speakers at a symposium of "Media Neutrality: A Myth" lamented the loss of credibility and direction of mass media in our country.

The propagandistic zeal of the Indian media had affected neutrality and objectivity to a large extent as barons of the industry remained obsessed with TRP ratings and increased advertising revenue, speakers at the symposium held at the Central Hindi Institute said.

Prof Kesari Nandan said free press owes a debt of gratitude to Hickey who was a fighter and challenged the might of the then ruling class. Prof Raj Shankar Sharma said Hickey boldly exposed the wrong doings of the viceroy Warren Hastings.

A young journalist Mohan Singh said we should not forget Indian journalism's baptism by fire and struggle.

Participants said there were lots of pressures on working journalists and that affected quality of writings. Bias and prejudices were rampant in the media. The dismal scenario needed corrective measures which had to come from the media practitioners.