The news of the suicide of freelance journalist Rizwana Tabassum shook me from inside. It was heart wrecking for a journalism enthusiast, especially for someone who is looking forward to working as an on-ground journalist who works in coldest temperatures to scorching heat, collects news from every nook and corner and then gets that news printed in the newspapers and magazines or makes it live on broadcasting channels.
Rizwana Tabassum was one such braveheart freelance journalist. She completed her journalism degree from Benaras Hindu University and was working as a freelance journalist with several media organizations including The Quint and The Print’s Hindi edition. She was also associated with civil society organizations around her hometown and had helped people a lot during the lockdown. In a note found next to her, she blamed local SP leader Shamim Nomani for her death, who allegedly had confessed affection for her and had called her 17 times before her death. They had argued a day before her death when Shamim, who was working with the same NGO gave her food packets to his contacts.
Rizwana’s last post on her Facebook account was thanking people from Gulf countries standing up for Indian Muslims. Siddharth Vadrajan, the founder of The Wire, where Rizwana was freelance journalist, tweeted that it is a tragic loss, Rizwana was a fierce journalist from Benaras.
I had read her post on Youth Ki Awaaz two days back when she wrote about how she had to face discrimination because of her hijab while reporting from Benaras Hindu University, on the issue of suspension of Muslim Sanskrit teacher. She said that it is hard for freelance journalists to come empty-handed. It costs money to travel places and freelance journalists get paid only per report.
This is sad and it is sadder because whatever the reason may be behind her death, nobody even gives a damn about these reporters working on the ground level, facing violence, pandemic, anything.
Many journalists work in disturbed areas like Jammu and Kashmir and they are charged with the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Journalists like Qazi Shibli and Asif Sultan have to rot in jail for years just for reporting the truth. Masrat Zahra, a photojournalist from J&K was recently was booked under the same law for posting a picture of a girl who is suffering from trauma due to state-led violence. Is this what freedom of the press is?
We, the proud largest democracy in the world are falling in Press Freedom Index’s ranking every year. This year we dropped two-position and now are at 142 compared to 140 in 2019. When most of the mainstream media is busy being subservient to the state, and these freelance journalists are jailed, the situation is indeed very saddening.
Indian journalists like Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand of the Associated Press have won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in the feature photography category. When we should be proud of the fact that our journalists have won the prestigious Pulitzer award, right-wing supporters trolled them and called them anti-national for reporting from Kashmir and showing the real picture of what is happening.
I would say that free press is the need of the hour and we should stand with these freelance journalists who are working hard putting their life in danger.