While We Watched Review: 5 Thoughts I Had About Vinay Shukla’s Documentary On Journalist Ravish Kumar
It was an eye-opener!
India’s current state of Journalism, news and media is not hidden from anyone. The difficulties in practising honest and ethical journalism in today’s time have demotivated many aspiring journalists to pursue the field with passion. Ravish Kumar was one of the few journalists in broadcast media who maintained his voice against all the odds. However, his resignation from a leading news channel left many heartbroken. Vinay Shukla’s documentary While We Watched gives us a glimpse of Ravish Kumar’s inner and outer battle as a journalist. The documentary is not just an eye-opener on the degrading state of journalism in our country but also shows us the threats involved in this profession and more! Here are five thoughts I want to share on Vinay Shukla’s While We Watched!
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The Cost You Pay As An Ethical Journalist!
Ravish Kumar is a role model for many of us. We never missed his Prime Time on NDTV, and that was only because we got to see some factual news, and the journalist raised some concerning issues in the country too! However, we hardly ever got to know about his personal life and the kind of fights he fought just to do his job. While We Watched gives a closer look into his personal life, day-to-day chores and his work! While watching the documentary, I realised how difficult it is to do a job as a journalist. I was shocked to see that a journalist who gave his best to bring substantial news to the public was abused by several people and received innumerable threat calls. Now, while Ravish Kumar handled all of it with grace and a lot of courage, I could not help but imagine the state of female journalists in a similar situation. Some questions that instantly popped up in my mind were Would our parents, partners or friends still encourage us to pursue the profession? or how would we continue with our normal lives with such fear? Would we too give up on our ethics, and principles and forget all that we were taught in our journalism classes?
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Death Of Journalism!
As a young journalist who looked up to the leading journalists in India, I always thought that this profession was for the brave and fearless! However, over the past few years, my perceptions have changed drastically. Vinay Shukla’s documentary While We Watched only made my opinions stronger. Even if the one-hour documentary was about Ravish Kumar, it also highlighted the slow death of journalism in India where well-known journalists are no longer the torch-bearers of truth, but simply a puppet of the power-holders. While watching Vinay Shukla’s film, all I could think about was how this profession has turned into a manipulative tool of misguiding the public. The fact that we no longer prefer watching news channels hits hard, and the truth about how people easily fall into the traps of fabricated stories had me raging like a bull!
Pathetic Job Conditions!
Little do we talk about the financial conditions of the journalists in India. The people who talk about poverty, job crisis and the common man’s problems are themselves not paid enough for the job they do. In fact, Vinay Shukla’s documentary While We Watched highlighted the layoffs that happened in the sector. It showed how Ravish Kumar lost his trusted colleagues because they feared their job security. I also realised the challenges that journalists face without a strong team that always has their back. These scenes in the documentary were quite emotional too and as an audience and journalist, I could feel Ravish Kumar’s dilemma!
Common Man’s Role In Making/Breaking Journalism
Well, THIS, I realised way before watching the documentary. However, Vinay Shukla’s film only made me see the results of being an ignorant consumer of news in today’s world. While We Watched gives us proof that people only want to see things that align with their opinions or perceptions, even if it is NEWS! Many media channels have followed the simple agenda of watering the group of half-informed minds. I understood that for a journalist, the motivation to present correct news also comes from the citizens, but once that dies, it becomes difficult to continue!
Withholding Information
While I knew that the media channels used information at their own convenience, and fabricated false stories to manipulate the public, While We Watched gave me a deeper insight into how that works! Journalists have access to a lot of information and sources that show them the real picture of any event. A lot of research also goes behind into making a Prime Time story. However, some media channels choose to hide important information from the public just to fulfil their agendas, while others face pressure to not show it!
Also Read: Watch This Little Girl In Kashmir Turn Reporter And Expose Dirty Roads Near Her House In A Viral Video. The Journalism We Need!
I watched Vinay Shukla’s While We Watched at MAMI Film Festival 2023. Little did I expect that the MAN himself would appear in front of me after the show ended. However, the documentary did leave me stressed and with a lot of questions but I was equally left impressed with Ravish Kumar’s sheer patience as a journalist. I couldn’t believe that the man who faced day-to-day struggles in his profession, so much so that he finally discontinued his journey with the leading channel, still had the same passion and courage to do his job. The Q&A with him at the MAMI Film Festival 2023 revived my lost hope in journalism, and I understood a simple mantra that it is all about endurance in the face of evil!
First Published: November 15, 2023 1:48 PM
