KARACHI: Reporters need to be impolite to extract earth-shattering information. Students of journalism rubbish the role of ethics in the profession. It is unfair to put the burden of ethics solely on the reporter.

These views were expressed by a 13-member delegation of the Kolkata Press Club who arrived at the Karachi Press Club on Sunday morning to speak at a seminar titled ‘State of Media in Pakistan and India: Ethics and Standards’.

Anindya Sengupta, the general secretary of the Kolkata Press Club, spoke about the distinction between journalism and reporting. “Journalists have to be balanced but a reporter has to be impolite to coax information out of his sources.”

Associated with the Telegraph newspaper in Kolkata, Anindya quoted Oxford historian and Guardian columnist Timothy Garton Ash to emphasise the importance of a reporter.

“Timothy travelled to different countries and jotted down notes on the events, revolutions and uprisings in various parts of the world. These then became a part of his widely appreciated book Facts are Subversive in which he writes that he had travelled widely as a historian but when he went to cover revolutions and uprisings he became a reporter.”

About media and ethics, his view was that politicians such as French President Francois Hollande and Shashi Tharoor and discussing their scandals in the media were not taboo as they were public figures and hence answerable and accountable to the media.

He also criticised the broadcast journalists in his country for their negative role in the Gujarat riots. “Journalists should not pit one community against the other as they are not politicians.” Nevertheless he praised his fraternity for their exemplary role in the recent Muzaffarnagar riots to find out the perpetrators.

Science journalist Pathik Guha spoke about the entertainment aspect of journalism. “A TV channel was showing a rally of a political party and activities that were happening on its sidelines. One of which was a three-year-old girl who was walking tightrope to entertain the onlookers. “The reporter spoke to the parents of the little girl admonishing them for making her do this. Their reply was most telling for they said that she was the sole breadwinner of the family. When the reporter spoke to the onlookers they mostly said that they enjoyed watching the little girl’s rope act.”

Mr Guha, who has worked with the Telegraph newspaper for 24 years, said their answers saddened him and he put the blame for this kind of apathy on the media. “Hours after hours, day in and day out, the readers, viewers and listeners are exposed to unalloyed entertainment in the name of news.”

The president of the Kolkata Press Club, Sudipta Sengupta, responded to the earlier comments made by the editor of Express Tribune, Kamal Siddiqi, about teaching ethics to journalism students. “I also teach journalism and my students say that ethics are rubbish since one has to ultimately do what the editor says.”

Associated with the news channel 24Ghanta of the Zee media network, Sudipta said the reason why the subject of ethics and media was being discussed more these days was because the market had grown so large that it had started to dominate one’s life.

Sudipta also countered comments made by the head of Geo editorial committee, Idrees Bakhtiar, pertaining to his channel’s policy of prohibiting reporters from accepting gifts worth more than Rs1,000, he said: “You pointed out the consequences in your organisation if a reporter accepts gifts, but what happens if the editor or the owner accepts gifts.”

Despite lack of sleep and a hectic schedule, the Kolkata-based journalists, even those not scheduled to speak, were quite keen in expressing their views.

One of them was Anjan Bandyopadhyay of Zee Akash News, who said: “It is good the media is in a mood of introspection but in this process we are becoming unfair to ourselves. You cannot put the onus completely on a reporter for lack of ethics. He does not have the educational background nor has he been provided the required training. We have to ask the owners or the final bosses who have to ensure ethical standards and tell the reporter to carry on with his job.”