Thursday, September 13, 2007

http://penpricks.blogspot.com/2007/09/big-one-cash-for-editorials.html

This got me thinking, I must admit.

Most of the ideas the post stirred up in me had been pretty latent and undercurrent-ish for awhile, but this particular post just made all of that come to the surface.

I've always vaguely wondered about what I see myself doing with the Communications course. I know for sure (but then again, as Sahana Ma'am says, it is too early to close other avenues and say "I will not try this because at this moment I don't like it") I don't want to do film (unless I can write scripts, which is highly unlikely - capability-wise, that is) or photography or radio. The only thing I like is writing. (As I've mentioned before).

So I guess at this point I see myself having something or the other to do with news. And news analysis. The op-ed kind of writing, you see. Public stuff. Politics. International affairs. Art. The whole deal. Which means I roughly see myself having something to do with the print or television news media.

But this post stunned me. I've always expressed appropriate outrage at the corruptions prevalent in the news media, but the direct nature of this particular report makes me question my plans. I'm not so sure if I'd like to become a journalist/whatever else I want to become in the present Indian scenario, at least. All said and done, I'm not exactly in love with India, but I don't hate it either.

And I don't think I have the patience (or passion, frankly) to wage the whole one-individual-against-the-system jazz, and die in the process or whatever. I mean, we keep reading about these journalists being killed, every now and then. My dream has been, for several years, to work till I'm 40, amassing a huge fortune in the process, and then start over, to do whatever I want (fanciful as it sounds). Hypocritical and immature as it may be, I'm not so hot on the idea of trying to Clean Up The System or trying to be an Honest newsperson. And needless to say, I don't want to become a bitter, cynical, hardened-to-the-world's-vices type of person either, by playing to the public or whatever.

I don't exactly know what I'm saying here (I am allowed to ramble on a place such as this, I'm assuming :D - I'm sure Kala Ma'am would functionally evaluate this piece at say 1/10 haha) , except that I have my doubts about what I'm going to do after this course.

I'm interested in knowing what each of you feels. About possibly entering a profession that is dangerous, marked by lack of integrity and by corruption, with apparently not much transparency and credibility. With respect to the Indian media scenario, that is.

Sorry for how morbid this sounds. (I know some of you will say "woman!!! what was your post about, I couldn't make out a word! ", and I'm sorry for how apparently incoherent I sound. But well. )


Neha