• Sanjeevana

Why Facts Matter

Hardly a day passes when I do not get a message on my mobile or mail advising me to give my PAN number, update my Aadhaar details or share my email address with a warning that if not done, my access to either my bank account, use of online payment facility or mobile may be frozen or discontinued.

What’s more, there are days when I cannot help grinding my teeth while disconnecting/blocking calls on my mobile with a similar missive.

Yet I have fallen prey to a group of glib talkers over the phone who persuaded me to share my personal details. Fortunately, I stopped short of sending money online, which was promised to be “refunded”.

This incident took place when a strict lockdown due to the Covid -19 pandemic was in force and almost all offices were closed. As no money was lost, the police were not interested in accepting my complaint. Finally, I lodged a complaint with the help of a reporter friend but it was no more than a rubber stamp formality. The culprits still have my details.

What I learnt from this episode is that I forgot a basic rule of journalism that also holds true for day-to-day existence — crossing-checking facts. A slip up and the consequences are far-reaching —loss of money, valuables and social standing, legal action and even a pink slip.

There are times when one cannot verify. In such cases, an editor follows a simple rule, “when in doubt, cut it out”. If need be, drop the entire copy. Assumptions, guessing and speculation are not part of editing a news report.

Admittedly, I am not the only one to be deceived. Look up any newspaper and there will be reports of people being duped. No one is safe from the tricksters — common man, celebrities, professors and senior officials.

Some 25 years ago, cyber crime was not part of my vocabulary. Now, with the advent of smartphones and the internet, it has emerged as one of the most menacing forms of crime committed by faceless criminals who reach right into one’s mind, whipping up a frenzied fear or greed, bending one to irrational demands.

Under the circumstances, all budding copy editors must have a working knowledge of what is a cyber attack and security. While editing, they may have to explain how a cyber crime took place. There are generations of readers who do not know how to negotiate the winding information highway in cyber space and an explanation is welcome. So, the next time you see a person struggling to withdraw money at an ATM, step in to help.

Robina Gagerna, former Assistant News Editor, Times of India and currently Visiting Faculty at Sanjeevana