Why world urgently needs specialised journalism on religion
In democracies, journalists go out and vote. Right?
Not only do they vote, but they also encourage greater public participation in adult franchise.
So, members of the media fraternity have their own political preferences, flexible or rigid, as do members of civilian, military, business and other workforce.
Yet, we all report generously on national and/or international politics.
With most of us, in Asia at least, wearing our cultures on our sleeve — turbans, skull caps, sacred threads on wrists, tilaks, bracelets and so forth — there's no harm therefore in studying them in order to deliver richer content.
More so in today's world. Let me explain.
Cognitive studies show human beings as emotional creatures — and not mechanised robots.
Rationality isn't really immune to emotions playing up in our subconscious — personal likes or dislikes.
Religion too is a realm of powerful emotions.
It's driving humanity since ages and will continue to remain in this exalted position for ages to come, no matter what a handful of surveys based on minuscule sample sizes forecast.
Unfortunately though, a lot of modern reportage world over is influenced largely by misinterpretation of secularism.
Put simply, the term isn't synonymous with atheism.
Secularism, originated itself from Christian theology, aims to protect and promote a level-playing field for all faiths in democratic governance.
The theory was originally designed to separate state from church, which means insulating governance against religious influence.
Authors of this philosophy saw the fine line between faith and politics.
But vested interests have used, and will continue to use, religion as a ladder to power — both in secular and religious spheres.
Extremist beliefs are also commonplace. An atheist can be as militant in her worldview as a believer or a secularist.
With technology bringing all these positives and negatives of human life dramatically closer, nuanced journalism has become an absolute must.
Just imagine a career medical correspondent of a marquee international news outlet doing a live-shot on European cinema. Or a trained defence reporter writing a piece for mass consumption on ice hockey.
The results could be anything: from funny, stupid to disastrous.
Mainstream media is going to stay because social media has become overloaded with a cacophony of voices, mostly of unreliable trolls.
In the 21st century, reporting religion from a political lens or from the viewfinder of the ruling class, as has been the phenomenon since the collapse of the British Empire, could just be counterproductive.
I am not sure how accurate it is to label political leaders as "Right" or "Left", but it certainly merits educated thought before stratifying millions of creatures in the sea of faith as "moderates" or "radicals" in this age.
Globalisation is no more a mere integration of world commerce. It's rapidly bringing a whole range of cultures in direct contact with one another, shattering their political boundaries to the ground.
A thorough understanding of this stupendous hybridisation of emotions is a new challenge for the world media industry.
And expert reporting a possible answer, not old-fashioned narratives cut and pasted from official briefings in world capitals.