Re-imagining journalism-2

In this 400 th column, I continue our collective efforts to re-imagine journalism. This likewise marks the 40 th anniversary of the Organization of News Ombudsmen and Standards Editors (ONO). The organisation, which was born in the U.S. in 1980, intentionally pick the acronym ONO to mark the difficult relationship in between an ombudsman and the newsroom. According to the official history of ONO, “It was said at the time that ‘Oh No!’ was the most common thing an ombudsman would hear from nervous or frustrated press reporters whenever the ombudsman was seen on the newsroom floor, as their look often declared a difficult discussion about poor choices or outright errors. So the possibility to call the organization itself ‘Oh No!’ was merely too excellent to pass up.”

Reflections on journalism

There have actually been numerous reflections on journalism over the last three centuries. From Benjamin Franklin’s statement on journalistic principles (found in his autobiography published in 1791) and Mahatma Gandhi’s reflection on running Indian Opinion (1904-1915) to the findings of different commissions, there is a rich oeuvre of literature about what makes journalism a public excellent. India had 2 press commissions– the First Press Commission (1952-54) and the Second Press Commission (1978-1982)– to specify the shapes of the Indian press.

The first commission to come