Media Reporting on Tribal People: Challenges & Solution

Abstract

Tribal population in India, though have their own traditional practices, knowledge and ways of life, are vulnerable group. They are marginalized in economic development programs of the State and are not considered with regard to political decisions. They also have limited opportunities to communicate their grievances and participate in public debates. It is an undisputed fact that many tribals are not enjoying their human rights and fundamental freedoms. Additionally, tribals normally are deficient in the funds and expertise essential to set up their own media facilities so that they can embody their condition and utter their voices themselves. It is at this juncture, the journalists play a vital role in reporting their concerns. Journalists play an extremely imperative task in the protection of human rights. They expose human rights infringements and offer a field for different voices to be heard in public discourse. That is the very reason, media, comprising of journalists have been called the Fourth Estate. However, the journalism would be ethical only when it is rooted in moral values and has progressed hand in hand with human rights protection. But the dilemma is how many journalists being outsiders would be able to understand the issues and concerns of tribals. There are instances wherein outsiders as journalists have injured the sentiments of indigenous peoples through misrepresentation and incursion of privacy. It could also happen that in the course of the extensive media reporting of tribal resources and wealth, private companies and corporate get to know the information. Accordingly, they tend to exploit the tribal population and thus are being dispossessed of their ancestral lands to make way for mines, dams, logging concessions and tourism complexes. There is also good reporting by journalists about miseries of tribals, their health conditions, their plight, their exploitation, their non-recognition and non participation. The importance of reporting about tribal people is that journalists and editors should not be the mouthpiece of government or of corporate power or of human rights defenders. Rather they should report the truth and problems that the vulnerable groups faced. The issue is how many reports on a daily basis report about such government or corporate intrusions to their livelihood are exposed. This can be solved only if representatives from indigenous communities are given opportunities to participate in media. Thus the need of the hour is to highlight the Indigenous voices and viewpoints to be taken into account in the decision making when any sort of developmental activities are planned concerning about them. Such participation should be extended to even social, economic, political and cultural affairs. By this, tribal groups could openly legislate plans in their field and can achieve intended progress. If such an indigenous media not possible in the immediate manner, the general media should do adequate steps to make sure that the government implement and not infringe any of the rights as ascertained under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.Free, prior and informed consent of tribal people has to be at the core of implementation mechanisms for the UN Guiding Principles and other international documents on business and human rights. The media should report those instances when the news on international standards being ignored and indigenous communities is oppressed by business activities of corporate happen.