North-east: An editor's discretion and media ethics

A debate involving the media fraternity of north-east India recently surfaced with two major issues: Is it ethically (logically) correct for an editor of a daily newspaper to regularly write a column for another daily (where both competing dailies are published in the same language and from the same region)?

- NAVA THAKURIA

A debate involving the media fraternity of north-east India recently surfaced with two major issues: Is it ethically (logically) correct for an editor of a daily newspaper to regularly write a column for another daily (where both competing dailies are published in the same language and from the same region)? Moreover, does the practice indirectly suggest that the columnist-editor simply failed to increase the visibility of their newspaper for years and hence went on to exploit space in another daily, which seemingly enjoys a higher circulation (readership) and credibility? The discourse involved some professional journalists based in other parts of the country, where it was largely resolved that if the respective newspaper managements (read the owners) agree, the issue of an editor writing columns in separate media outlets is understood as settled.

However, for any reason, if the editorial management of the recipient media house prefers to discontinue the particular column, that should be acknowledged gracefully by the editor-columnist. At the same time, if the editor of a newspaper asks a columnist to concentrate on particular issues (or coverage areas), that should be accepted as the concerned editor's prerogative, and the direction should not be raised as a censorship on freedom of expression. The editor-columnist may lose the space in that particular newspaper, but they have every right to pursue their preferred issues anywhere (including in their daily).

The intriguing debates kicked off soon after a social media post by a senior editor based in Meghalaya, where award-winning journalist Patricia Mukhim (currently editing The Shillong Times, which came into existence in 1945) alleged that management of The Assam Tribune (surviving since 1939) had abruptly decided to stop her regular column. With the headline 'End of a journey with the