‘Wheeler-dealer’ is a term usually linked to business and politics. More the wheeler-dealers, more the rot that creeps into the system. It is the duty of the media to expose such rot and cleanse the system. But what will happen if wheeler-dealers enter the media and start ‘doing business.’ It is akin to putting the fox in charge of the henhouse. The recent exposure of hundreds of pages of alleged WhatsApp chat between Republic TV’s editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and CEO of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) Partho Dasgupta, who is presently in jail, points to the murky dealings in the Fourth Estate. It uncovers the proximity of journalists to the powers-that-be and the ugly business of Television Rating Points (TRP). The ‘Arnabgate’ is arguably one of the biggest scandals in Indian media which is under attack for becoming a lapdog rather than sticking to its role as a watch dog. 

The crucial fall-out of such unprofessional and unethical dealings is that they could lead to breach in national security. Goswami’s chats make reference to his advance knowledge about the Balakot air strikes. If this revelation is true, it is nothing less than a compromise in national security with wider ramifications. If there are people in the government who are hand-in-glove with media personnel, to whom secret information is handed out, it is one of the biggest threats to the nation. A government which utters the words ‘nationalism’ and ‘patriotism’ at the drop of a hat cannot wash its hands off if what has come out in the public is true. It is important to take note that neither Goswami nor the government has denied the veracity of the 500-odd pages of WhatsApp chat which form part of Mumbai police’s 3,600-page supplementary charge-sheet in the TRP scam. 

Goswami seems to have forgotten the thumb rule of journalistic ethics that media is duty-bound to keep the business interest in the backburner and place national interest at the forefront. It is unthinkable that a media organization had no qualms in making money out of the martyrdom of 40 jawans who perished in the bomb blasts at Pulwama. It is unethical for someone to think of ‘milking’ national security to enhance TRP. Many journalists covering sensitive areas might get explosive information; but untimely revelation of this could be detrimental to national interests. Professional ethics prevents journalists from sharing it with others. Those who preach nationalism and patriotism to others should make sure that the sand beneath their feet would not slip away. 

The present government is known for putting a leash on free speech. It has apparently tried to silence the media in many ways. It is worth recalling the Attorney General of India, a couple of years back, hinting in Supreme Court on action against journalists for violation of Official Secrets Act. His caution came in the background of the unearthing of documents containing ‘hidden facts’ on Rafale deal and the reports that appeared in The Hindu. The same government, it seems, has no problem in ‘helping out’ those media organizations which sing paeans for it and work as its mouthpiece. The nation wants to know whether it is right to sacrifice values for the sake of increasing TRPs. Those who ask questions should have the guts to answer questions too.