Who will mourn the chroniclers?

I have known two journalists over the course of my career who were murdered for what they wrote about One was a man I worked with for a while and the other was someone I met outside a work setting allowing me the opportunity to know him as a person rather than a professional Both murders shook me and continue to upset me when I think about them because the loss of a journalist means more than just the loss of someone who shares the same space as usItrsquos why the death of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aklehmdashkilled on May 11 by Israeli forces in Jenin in the occupied West Bankmdashmoved me as much as it did even though I knew little about her Itrsquos also how I felt a year ago on July 16 when we lost photojournalist Danish Siddiqui to crossfire in Kandaharrsquos Spin Boldak districtWe lose more than a colleague friend or member of society when a journalist is taken from us I say this not simply because I used to be one but because I deeply appreciate what journalists do and why they matter When we lose a journalist we lose a chronicler of our times a spokesperson for those who have no voice a conscience that acts on our behalf to hold elected representatives accountablePeople outside our country have known this for years They have known it during war and times of turmoil when journalists have been the only way for them to make themselves heard and attract the attention of a world too jaded to notice otherwise It explains why thousands of Palestinians gathered for the funeral service of Abu Akleh a week ago and why the government of India says nothing when Indian journalists are killed for what they doIt bothers me that more people arenrsquot upset when this happens because it points not just to apathy but to being complicit in silencing voices of dissent It sometimes feels as if it has never been more difficult to be a journalist given how so many countries the world over are doing their best to stop them from working In 2021 hundreds of journalists were arrested or killed for their work According to that yearrsquos press freedom index 488 journalists were detainedmdashan increase of 20 per cent compared to 2020mdashwhile 46 were killed and 65 held hostageWe are being overwhelmed by misinformation on an hourly basis and the inability of millions to separate fact from fiction has only made honest journalism more rather than less important We are simultaneously being encouraged by criminals masquerading as politicians to believe that all journalists do is indulge in the spreading of lsquofake newsrsquo It is a term that has spread from Donald Trump to other cameraobsessed megalomaniacs the world over and we have not been sparedHate speech is now more common and acceptable among us than ever before which ought to worry us but doesnrsquot because we are too busy obsessing over what gods people bow down to in the privacy of their homes We are being encouraged to do that too because people obsessing over religion are the same people too busy to look at where their taxes are going Itrsquos also why no one knows what happened to the hardearned money collected for a mysterious PM Cares FundItrsquos easy to denigrate all journalists when PR agents are tasked with reading out the dayrsquos news on television Itrsquos easy to write off the hard work that goes into holding governments accountable when so many anchors play the role of cheerleaders rather than interrogators And yet without a few remaining journalists still holding the fort we risk turning into one of our neighbouring countries bankrupt and divided torn apart by hateThe prime minister has yet to say a word about the demise of Danish Siddiqui presumably because Siddiqui was devoted to the truth It is the one thing all cowards are afraid of A week ago though Siddiqui was among four Indians honoured with the prestigious Pulitzer Prize his second such honour It made me happy because it showed that there are still countries that recognise why journalists matter and why the work they do can be transformativeIt may take time for India to come around to that point of view but I hope and believe it will happen After all if history has taught us one thing it is that fascism never lasts foreverWhen he isnrsquot ranting about all things Mumbai Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet He tweets lindsaypereiraSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper