The media on show

During the election of office bearers of Journalists Association of Bhutan, we saw a drama of a sort in the hall of MOIC. The nature of drama kings and queens, the Bhutanese journalists, was on display. It was a free two hour family drama based on apprehension, manipulation and speculation.  The theme of the drama was: Man is cynosure of his own self.

In the preproduction stage, the story was written starkly to take the Bhutanese media to a great height. Senior editors and journalists came together to form an association with the intention of rendering help to media and address its plight through a strong media association. They worked very hard to form the JAB, which has immediately come to be associated with the verb ‘jab’. As a result of their sheer hard work, JAB was born.

In the production stage, the raw nature of the scribes was on full display. To begin with, the national flag was fluttering in front of the office of MOIC. Some wore kabney, others didn’t. Many didn’t smoke, but some did, and did that openly. Acting eccentric in public is generally believed to be becoming of a typical western journalist. But Bhutanese journalists share the same character trait. As they say, the fact that a person is a reporter means he or she has some flaw in character.

In the hall, some young journalists speak out loud, and almost every other word is slang. That’s what journalists are made of. That’s what even journalists say about themselves.

In Bhutan, traditionally we respect elders and seniors irrespective of their name, fame and power.  This tradition is generally fading away, and a senior journalist said it is fast fading away in the media although the media is supposed to show examples. At the meeting, there were no seniors and juniors, no older and younger. All had the freedom to shout out everybody’s name or nickname without any measure of decency and respect.

Back to the smoking episode, smoking in public is banned in Bhutan. Media, undoubtedly, did many, many stories on it and questioned why the government couldn’t implement the ban effectively. Ironically, journalists go out in droves to smoke in front of an important office without any qualm.

Some people are suspicious of journalists. When the Tobacco Control Act was imposed, media made a huge issue out of it. Finally, the law was amended. Now some people say, half-jokingly, that the media have taken up the issue tooth and nail to benefit themselves.  They say whether there was any conflict of interest involved.

In the post-production stage, journalists voted and elected officials of JAB. Next morning, something suddenly came out from nowhere and questioned the credibility of election. Some journalists began to spit venom on social networking sites. Some more joined to add their venom. Some poured anti-venom.

JAB’s Facebook page was overrunning with comments from members of JAB. Some expressed real concerns; others made fun of the new association. “JAB” has taken on connotation of jabbing at one another. And indeed, journalists started jabbing at each other and at the very institution that is supposed to bring them together, closer.

Perhaps he was pained to see this drama. KB Lama, a senior journalist, posted his comment on Facebook, “I guess that is democracy. And journalists usually make their voice heard in the worst manner, whereas they are the ones who are supposed to show the way.”

The show continues, albeit at a slower pace and in a less intense form. The media is surely on public display.

By Pema Tenzin