Journalism

 The freedom of journalism is indeed an interesting theme. No wonder, the U.N. chose  a day to dedicate to it. Independent, fair journalism is absolutely a dicey situation currently. Why?

 Well, in contemporary times, there are two major problems regarding news generation and distribution. The first one of these is the inevitable interference of the deep fake. The AI-generated news, views, images truly create  parallel wor(l)ds which create a world wide web which is vast, glib, and absolutely a concoction, a falsehood whose range, both generation and distribution wise, is so gigantic that it need not even crush the truth. Well, truth as an alternative would hardly (be allowed to) exist at all as there would not be the alternative space for it!

The second problem about journalistic integrity, honesty, probity is rooted in the finances/economy of the deep fake. For deep fakes to erupt, exist, evolve are needed deep pockets. Obviously in a clearly globalised world, international (crony) cartels with their own agendas would be the big brother watching, nay, dictating, every mo(ve)ment of everyone via newer, sharper, more incisive technological tool (kits). Forget small time alternative media creators like the YouTubers, can a local media house sustain such onslaught? The answer is obvious!

Instead of hating for the hake of hating, opening up, standing up to such real and inevitable totalitarian tendencies has to be the genuinely public intellectual's (a journalist should be one) prime duty.

 Instead of blaming, back-biting, bitching over temporary tussles which would settle down once the election fever comes down, media houses zee-lously (pun, obviously a p.j., but very much imminent in the current contexts) should support the coherent narrative, and not the planted narrative with an obvious eco-system rooted everywhere, and yet nowhere! In brief, in the deep fake future, already present, truth willl not prevail. 

Pratima@ The most important quality of a good foot soldier is locating/lambasting the looming large shadows. Like a good captain trying to tow away a ship from the dark continent below whose tip, too, is not visible!