Healthy competition will promote social values
Venkat Raman –
We have always believed that the media in New Zealand – mainstream and ethnic, suffer from discord and disunity, helping no one, least of all readers, listeners and watchers, in the process.
Moral degradation
Elsewhere in the world, especially in India, the print, electronic, radio, television and all other media are brought together under an umbrella, establishing codes of conduct, areas of discipline and avenues for cooperation.
In New Zealand, lawyers, medical practitioners, pharmacists, accountants, bankers, immigration advisers – almost every professional in fact, except media personnel.
A couple of us meet and greet at social events or exchange pleasantries over the telephone from time to time and stop there. There is no conscientious move to shake hands, understand each other and promote professional values.
We do not have a system of self-regulation to stop us from grabbing each other’s throat.
This business of so called competition has gone too far.
It is time to seek orderliness and ethics in the way we conduct business.
Lone performer
Sixteen years ago, Indian Newslink was the only newspaper voicing the concerns of the Indian community in New Zealand.
Communication through mobile telephones was still unknown, the radio and television dealt more with entertainment and sports than with current affairs and the web was just beginning to make its enormous potential available to publishers and news-gatherers.
Auckland was (and continues to be) a ‘one-newspaper’ city like other places in the country with no news dedicated to the Indian community.
Indian Newslink began to grow, reaching out to the growing communities from Fiji, South East Asia and quickly established itself as a friend, with its readership covering Indians from India, Fiji and other parts of the world, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankan, Nepalese and people from the Middle East.
Increasingly, people of other ethnic groups are joining our readership.
Continued patronage
The newspaper continues to enjoy the patronage and support of a growing number of advertisers, contributors, readers and well-wishers in New Zealand and other countries of the world.
Our web edition has endeared itself to more than 45,000 readers across the globe every fortnight, with news, analyses, and evolving laws and business practices attracting their attention.
Over the years, we have broken many stories, taken up several issues on behalf of our communities with Prime Ministers, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Government agencies and officials. While many of them drew the attention of the concerned, the process itself has taken us closer to the people, which we believe is the main role of a newspaper.
The changing scene
Much has changed over the years.
We are not alone in the market; there are a number of other newspapers serving the ever-growing Indian community, each with its own brand of journalism, business practices and groups of readership.
Competition has helped us to reinforce our place in the marketplace, motivating us to seek improvements in news coverage, analysis and of course, production and distribution. We believe that we have arrived somewhere – at a place where we are recognised for what we are and what we do. This alone makes us happy, because, the role of every newspaper, big or small, is to inform people, be with them and understand their needs and aspirations.
Not that we have been infallible in our efforts to bring news and views to our people.
We have erred on many occasions, but seldom courted fear to own and apologise for our mistakes. Our readers are watchful and have never failed to either point out our blunders or differ from our views.
Each of these incidents has made us stronger and more determined to carry on our duty to the community, society and the country.
Balanced approach
Indian Newslink has never courted a single political party, following the true concept of Non-Alignment that we learnt from the Indian polity decades ago. Our newspaper has as much time and space for National Party as it has for Labour and in fact for all other smaller parties. With malice or bias towards none, we have carried on our journalistic duty, believing in one single and indisputable fact: that small is not insignificant and that those with modest size and income are not devoid of principles.
Over the years, we have also learnt the difficult art of maintaining balance, not just in our journalistic approach but also in our mood and attitude. We have learnt how to stay on the ground; not seeking dizzy heights of conceit when loaded with accolades nor sinking to the depths of depression when showered with brickbats. There is a certain joy in being what we are than what we have.
Competition is the fuel that sparks the engine of any business, giving it the momentum not just to survive but also to gain strength and get bigger and better. It keeps an organisation under check, preventing it from becoming reckless either in its conduct or service to the society.
We believe that the ethnic media in New Zealand, at least in respect of the extended Indian community, is in the process of growth and advancement. As it matures, it would discern the difference between true patrons and attention-seekers; it would also understand the need for well-defined policies that are truly worthy of public trust and confidence.
Hand of friendship
It is unfortunate New Zealand does not have an organisation that binds together people in the media industry. There is an urgent need for newspapers, radio stations, television channels, and programme providers to unite under an umbrella so that their purpose of serving the people could be bettered. The absence of unity has led to unhealthy competition, breeding in the process practices that would undermine the very premise of journalism, namely to provide news and views that are fair, frank and fearless.
If New Zealand is a small country, its Indian population is even smaller. The ethnic media subsists in an extremely crowded market, with the risk of business ethics eroded to the point of extinction.
Healthy competition
There is room for everyone to live, flourish and promote the interests of the community. But measuring noses would only undermine the fourth estate, which is the only ground for people to voice their opinions without reservations.
As Indian Newslink steps into its 14th year, we reiterate our commitment to our communities, to inform them, carry their issues and views to the concerned, and remain as a servant of the people.
We also seek the hand of our counterparts in the industry in re-establishing solidarity and meeting the challenges of the times.
While we can remain competitors to keep alive our aspirations and ideals, we should shed rivalry that is often associated with destruction and disharmony.
We have extended our hand of friendship in the hope that it would be taken and shaken for the common good.
Photo :Customer choice in a crowded market
