Behind the News: Voices from Goa's Press

ism in Goa should be looking at, apart from just the Secretariat. Recently, his work made it to the news in a major way, when the Indian Express carried a large spread in its national-edition on

ditor of the Gomantak Times, Ashwin Tombat, asked me to handle local correspondents who were contributing to the newspaper. He assured me th

ere many reasons for this. Firstly, working with correspondents invariably meant that one would end up merely re-writing their stories and would not have much time to work on my

t-time correspondents and could devote only a few hours to the profession, I could only expect them to function for a brief part of the day. Then again, these co

, they don't appear at all. People in our locality then get upset and complain that we are not sending in their stories," was a commonly echoed grievance. "No one attends

rtainly had some de

, a correspondent sent me a crime report, which, under normal circumstances, should have been carried the next day. To my surprise, the report was not published for the next two days. The correspondent called me and sought an explanation for the delay. Unable

e 4. Incidentally, the distribution of saplings by an MLA not only merited a double-column spread, but also a decent photograph - ironically, just alongside the news item reporting the tragic deaths. The sub-editor's reply, like his news sense, left me

ch an attitude as "'news sense' value whic

and sending news items. Confined to the four walls of the newspaper office, some members of the news desk play a role similar to that of a cook in the kitchen; while rural correspondents are the waiters who ha

rs of Goa, who rarely witnessed the hectic activity at the news desk, moments before the deadline. On numerous occasions, news items placed on the page had to

unhappiness over the delay in printing their reports would become more vocal with each passing day and, invariably, I became their punching bag. This was largely because some of the rural corresponde

years ago, a former editor mentioned to me that he was on a trip to a remote village in Goa, when he decided to attend a function in the locality. The place was p

wspaper, was appointed the BJP booth president of Tarimol-Sanguem. In most cases, reports sent by correspondents to the news desk, in the past, specially when there was no one in particular to look after this responsibility, simply lacked form and content. Illegible words either scribbled on scraps of paper or sent as distorted faxed messages were among the most popular methods deployed to communicate their reports. In some

ant subjecting numerous correspondent reports to various quality control tests each day and, in some cases, creating sense from nonsense, before they were ready to be read by thousands of rea

was not m

ince handled thousands of reports either sent to me through post, fax, emails or even dictated over the phone. In most cases, the reports may have initially appea

authorities had decided to shut down the Pernem police station canteen for operating under 'unhygienic conditions'. In my view, this was most significant and I refined the story with this angle as the lead. Taking cue from the news it

o learnt to appreciate the crucial role of those eyes and ears spread all over the state. This experience has led me to believe t

ces. The merit is only recognised in times of emergency, when a big story breaks out in areas represented by correspondents. Then too, it is a common trend that newspapers would prefer to send its full-fledged staffers, often from Panjim, instead of relying on part-time rural correspondents,

of a correspondent from the area, the staffer went ahead and interviewed five persons from the village. Eventually, the staffer realised that four persons interviewed represented one group, while the sole personality interviewed from the other group went on to criticise his own group! The article was published and the damage was done. Organisers of the se

more prominence - both in space and display - than a report sent by a rural correspondent. Recently, tension flared up along the Tuyem -Camurlim ferry route, after the river navigation department wanted to shift the lone ferry to Tar-Siolim for the five-day Ganesh immersion cere

the other hand, people in Siolim had the luxury of a ferry to assist them in a religious ceremony. The correspondent sent me the report but, this time, the item was published on page 4, normally reserved for stories which have been continued from page 1. Incidentally, six of the eight news items which

ns and, hence, an urban-based report would generate more interest than a remote village-based story. To accept this argument would be similar t

t is no wonder that the popularity of vernacular papers in Goa has been largely

arely metres from a high tension pole. A labourer while at work accidentally came in contact with the live wires and was seriously injured. Though a police complaint was filed against the firm and not the MLA, the correspondent was keen to establish

he incident, the same editor called up the news desk, asking them to insert the statement that the alleged murderer is the sister of the minister. Th

gh" in most talukas of the State. These associations have, in turn, branched out into constituency-level associations. At present, the numerous "Patrakar Sanghs" in Goa include the Sanguem-Quepem Patrakar Sangh, Sanguem Patrakar Sangh, Murgao Patrakar Sangh, Pernem Patrakar Sangh, Mandrem Patr

o the profession, despite the difficulties that engulf them on a regular basis. If my efforts have paid rich dividends, it is largel

r respective areas. It is this talent that has enthused many correspondents to remain in journalism for

t to be impressive reports. There have been some correspondents who have developed such strong contacts, that they are easily identified by the masses

ined the prized possession of a newspaper and, in many

g into account their weekly holidays, public holidays or annual leave. In one newspaper, correspondents were not paid for a number of months due to acute financial difficulties and, yet, that didn't retar

me a news item over the phone. Beyond doubt, this correspondent, despite his busy schedule in Vasco, has

a and in most cases, travel many kilometres to either collect or send a repo

to newspapers in a number of ways. They can be of invaluable help in the promotion of newspaper, be it circulation, generation of adve

spondents who pursue journalism as an end from those

y that rural correspondents are insulated from pressures while discharging their part-time duties. On the contrary, they are most prone to in

ondents have prompted authorities to initiate action. Recently, a correspondent persistently highlighted the illegal felling of trees in the taluka, inviting the wrath of timber smugglers. Ign

Herald News Bureau has developed a team of talented, reliable, useful, sincere and