Interview: Kerala is safer for journalists, but police filing FIRs against scribes on flimsy grounds worrying, says CPJ award winner Shahina

Her persistence in upholding journalistic ethics and principles paid off. Currently a senior editor with the ​Outlook​ magazine, Shahina, has been selected as one of the four winners of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) International Press Freedom Award, 2023.

The award, honouring “courageous journalists worldwide”, will be presented to Shahina in New York on 16 November.

KK Shahina. (Shafeeq Thamarassery)

“Shahina is a veteran Indian journalist who has worked across print and broadcast media to shed light on gender, human rights, marginalised communities, and the injustices they face. Shahina, currently a senior editor for Outlook magazine, was one of the country’s first journalists to be charged under a draconian anti-terror law extensively weaponised against journalists for over a decade,” the CPJ said while announcing the honour.

“She had continued her reporting despite awaiting trial for a case opened in 2010 when local government officials sought to criminalise her reporting on a questionable police investigation. As of June 2023, Shahina is out on bail pending trial. She faces a maximum of three years in prison and a fine if convicted,” it further said.

“A Muslim by birth, Shahina has also been subjected to extensive harassment by Indian right-wing groups seeking to silence her reporting on religious minorities and vulnerable caste groups,” the CPJ added.

Shahina tells her story in an exclusive interaction with South First. Edited excerpts:

Q. A journalist coming from a humble background, you have battled adversities to achieve your goals. How do you view the winning of this prestigious press freedom award?

Shahina with journalist Neha Dixit, who won the CPJ award in 2019. (Supplied)

A. This is an award for excellence in pursuing journalism in adverse circumstances. Normally, no reporter would wish to get such an award. This is an appreciation for resisting suppression.

I am happy with the award. It’s an acknowledgment of the hardships I have been suffering for the past 13 years for reporting the truth. It will help me chase truth with more vigour and passion. I am confident that true journalism will survive state-sponsored onslaughts and institutionalised terror.

It is indeed an empowerment of sorts. I wish to dedicate the award to all journalists who are beaten up, killed and framed in cases while pursuing journalism.

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Q. Your attempt to defend basic human rights has led to criminal cases under a draconian law. What’s the current status of the case?

A. Several years have passed, but the process is slow for obvious reasons. The case is pending before the sessions court in Madikeri. We filed a transfer petition to shift the case to an NIA (National Investigation Agency) court in Bengaluru sometime ago. The final order is still pending.

There is a Karnataka High Court order that such cases must be tried in the NIA courts of the respective states. The case is being dragged on for various reasons. The charge sheet is in Kannada, and it took a long time to get an authorised English translation. In between, I have been regularly appearing in court whenever summoned. We are bound to cooperate with the court’s procedures. Once the transfer petition gets approved, I hope the case will be expedited and my dignity and right to justice will be restored.

Shahina at an EMS memorial meeting. (Supplied)

Q. You were the first Muslim face among television news readers in Malayalam. You later shifted to print. How did this happen?

A. It all happened by chance. I had other goals besides television while completing my post-graduate diploma course at the Kerala Media Academy. I applied to Asianet when it notified vacancies, along with my fellow diploma holders.

They chose me as a journalist and later allowed me to become a news anchor. I am not a religious person and never treated religion as my identity. Only after I started reading the news did people identify me as the first news reader from a Muslim background.

Muslim viewers started showing me affection and care. As a secular journalist who considers people beyond religion, I never cared much for that (religious) identity. I always wanted to be a professional journalist.

Q. What prompted you to become a journalist?

A. I was passionate about journalism from childhood itself. I never thought of any other job. I developed a fascination for reading books, newspapers, and other materials while in school. After joining college, I felt the urge to write for newspapers and magazines. While choosing a career, I preferred journalism. I never applied for any other job. Becoming a law graduate was my second dream. I realised that dream while continuing as a journalist reporting across South India.

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Q. Could you elaborate on the socio-political and cultural background that shaped your career?

A. The credit goes to my family. My father was a school teacher with a penchant for reading. He graduated from the Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam. He always believed in empowerment through education.

My mother studied up to the 10th standard and was a voracious reader. Reading newspapers, journals, and books formed an integral part of my daily routine at my home. It provided me with a strong foundation. In college, I became an active member of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of CPI(M).

After college, I was associated with different feminist movements across the state. All these helped in enriching my professional calibre. In those days, Asianet was the perfect platform to experiment and flourish. You should always have a political philosophy and social concept.

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Q. What’s your message to fellow journalists?

A. Journalists must adhere to the core principles of journalism. They should be truthful. They must be accountable for what they say or write. To err is human. But we must have the courage to accept our mistakes and to correct them. Selfish agendas stymie responsible journalism. Emotional outbursts also would not help. It’s not a platform to pursue selfish agendas.

Manipulation also has no place in this field. We have to adhere to the fundamentals. That is a challenge. Keeping ourselves away from the flow of misinformation or disinformation remains a challenge. But we have no other option.

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Q: What makes you stand apart in your career?

A: I do not feel I am distinct. I am like anybody else in the field. As I said earlier, I wish to be honest to the core. I never wanted to fool my viewers or readers. I moved out of television to pursue my passion for print and digital media. More than publicity and wide appreciation, I always believed in quality. And I wish to be accountable for whatever I say or write. We have to place objectivity above speculation. And be ethical in the face of mad competition.

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Q. Journalists often show a tendency to go by police versions of incidents and events. In your case, you always took police versions with suspicion, and your journalism began there. 

Shahina with fellow journalists Vinod Jose, John Brittas, Sashi Kumar, and NP Ullekh at the Kerala Literary Festival in Kozhikode in January. (Sourced)

A. Finding the truth clouded by the police version is an enormous challenge. We have to be objective. Police versions must be the beginning, but not the end. The search for accuracy must drive us beyond the police versions. We are not investigators. We may not have the latest tools to unravel the hidden truth. But we have to be vigilant and cautious. Journalism also demands a critical view. The police are always partial. They side with the violators. Journalists must ask disturbing questions. It’s not a clerical job.

Q. Is ground reporting a risky affair in Kerala?

 A. Ground reporting is comparatively safer in Kerala. In my case, the prosecution happened in neighbouring Karnataka. Recently, Kerala witnessed some unfortunate developments in which police cases were registered against journalists on flimsy grounds. It is a worrying trend. Such instances must be avoided and discouraged. Governments should be more tolerant of critical and adverse viewpoints.

Q. Do you have any message to junior journalists?

A. Credibility is the key to journalism. Crazy competition and commercial interests often cause damage to journalistic credibility. Readers and viewers would believe you only if you possess high credibility. Be the defenders of truth, democracy, secularism, and co-existence. Money is vital, but money alone would not give you all the comforts you require. The social accountability of a journalist is supreme. The new entrants must evolve the practice of cross-checking facts.