Published Aug 19, 2024 | 10:39 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 19, 2024 | 10:39 PM
Behind the News is your round-up of musings from the corridors of power. Read what goes on behind the scenes for news & newsmakers.
“Your freedom ends where my nose begins,” goes the saying. It is oft quoted in journalism schools while teaching the dos and don’ts in reporting, especially in a democratic setup.
However, some journalists forget what was taught back in school. Being “persistent without being arrogant” does not mean that a reporter could barge into a room, filmy style, shove a mic at his or her subject, and shoot questions.
This reporter in Hyderabad, apparently carried away by the waves she thought her story would create, would have none of it. She barged into an IPS officer’s office with a mic and the camera crew in tow. However, her ‘subject’, Drug Control Administration’s Director General VB Kamalasan Reddy, was not amused by the sudden, unexpected intrusion.
He offered the journalist and her crew a bitter pill, something they might not forget for the rest of their career. Reddy asked his staff to evict the TV crew from his cabin. One of the staff members even prevented the cameraman from shooting by putting his hand in front of the lens.
The incident did create a wave of a different kind — not the sort the reporter had dreamt of. As the video of the TV crew barging into the officer’s cabin went viral, the Opposition BRS latched onto it and fired at Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The TV channel the reporter represented has been considered close to the chief minister.
The BRS alleged that the chief minister had let loose his “benami” channel on an officer known for his integrity.
The reporter was following up on a story on the absence of pharmacists in medical shops and how unqualified staff were dispensing medicines. The reporter hypothesized that the Drug Administration Department was not cracking the whip on pharmacies promoted by major healthcare institutions while showing too much enthusiasm in swooping on small-time medical shops.
In fact, the dispensing of scheduled drugs over-the-counter has become widespread in Hyderabad after the police clamped down on drug peddlers. However, those in the know said the Drug Administration has been dealing shops without qualified pharmacists with an iron hand.
Incidentally, the television channel, too, has no doubts about the official’s integrity. It was the reporter’s over-enthusiasm that created an awkward situation.
Following the incident, the Drug Control Administration clarified that it had issued notice to medical outlets promoted by major healthcare institutions. Well, all is well that ends well!
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