Serious journalism still matters: Rajdeep Sardesai

MY TAKE: Having spent more than three decades in journalism, I have seen the profession change dramatically. From the days of the newspaper the next morning to breaking news in real time. But one thing hasn’t changed: our first responsibility is to the truth, not to those who wield power. Somewhere along the way, too much of journalism has become about access, visibility, speed and the next viral moment. Perhaps it is time to rediscover our moral compass.

For me, journalism has always been about asking the uncomfortable question, knocking on the door that powerful people would rather keep shut, and telling the story even when you know there may be consequences. It means doing so without fear or favour.

And in a country as vast and diverse as India, journalism cannot simply be about what is happening inside the television studios of Noida or the corridors of Lutyens’ Delhi. There is a whole India beyond the studio lights: the farmer struggling with a crop failure, the young person looking for a job, the tribal community fighting for its land, the migrant worker far from home, the small-town voter whose voice rarely makes the national news cycle. If we don’t go out and listen to them, we are not really reporting India; we are reporting a version of India that is visible to us.

The Indian Express investigation this week is a reminder of what journalism can achieve when reporters step away from the noise, dig deep and follow the facts. It shows that serious, painstaking journalism still matters — and, importantly, still finds an audience.

After all these years, I still believe the best journalism is not about being the loudest voice in the room. It is about being willing to enter the room nobody wants you to enter, ask the question nobody wants asked, and then have the courage to publish the answer.