COVID-19: Safety of Journalists Should Be a Prime Responsibility

Katha Jor Garam 

(Photo: The Quint)

Video Editor: Vivek Gupta & Ashutosh Bharadwaj

The news of 53 Mumbai journalists testing positive for COVID-19 rang alarm bells across newsrooms nationwide. Besides Mumbai, journalists in Chennai have also tested positive. Even the Delhi government has started testing journalists, who have been reporting from ground zero.

Most journalists infected with coronavirus include youth reporters, camerapersons, and photojournalists who have to be on the front-lines, like doctors and cops.

A TV reporter, while talking to The Quint, said that he had notified his company that visuals are now readily available on WhatsApp, while live chats can be managed on Skype.

“Even though they asked me to stay safe, I still had to step out of my home.”

A TV Reporter

It's not as if the job doesn't hint at the danger, but there is usually no time to tend to it. A reporter told us that he had gone to Dharavi to report on the BMC screening process, in the narrow alleyways.

One can say that if a soldier doesn't go out during a war, then when will he fight? The same applies to a reporter. For a journalist, there is no bigger story than COVID-19. You are right, but the question is about safety. From UNICEF to CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists), many bodies have issued guidelines that journalists should keep in mind. There are some rules which apply to all, but some especially to electronic media reporters.

Now, tell me, how many TV channels in our country strictly follow these guidelines? Sometimes, ground reporters have been given masks but there is no quality assurance. Sometimes, the masks are okay but there are no gloves, sometimes, three to four people have to travel in one car. Not everyone has the option to work from home.

During the coronavirus outbreak, an audio clip of the editor of a famous news channel leaked, where he allegedly said it is better to quit your job if you decide to stay at home during this time.

An employee of a famous international media outlet told The Quint that their style of coverage has completely changed since the outbreak. Every story would go through a risk assessment test. During this phase, it isn't just about the safety of journalists but
also of doctors and security personnel. If the story doesn't pass the risk assessment test, it is dropped. After that, journalists are carefully deployed on the ground.

A doctor has to play with danger during an emergency. A policeman during a law and order crisis, disaster management personnel during a disaster, and a soldier during a war. But a journalist has to face these dangers at all the above mentioned circumstances. So the responsibility of the protection of journalists should be taken by both media houses and the system. 

Many might call what happened with the Mumbai reporters collateral damage, but there are more parties responsible. We can only hope that our media houses and the system will understand the gravity of the situation.