Journalist recalls Taliban takeover, terror, desperation of Afghans

New Delhi: As a witness and chronicler of time, history and happenings, the work of a journalist is never easy. To differentiate fact from fiction, question vigorously every piece of information, while maintaining objectivity and balance in the reportage, be it in normal circumstances or reporting from a war zone, is a very challenging task.

Staying true to one’s calling, upholding truth and objectivity without being opinionated, a journalist has to not just report but also give voice to those affected by the unfolding events. These responsibilities are often fulfilled at considerable risk to one’s own safety and physical constraints, something that Shubhajit Roy, Associate Editor and Deputy Chief of National Bureau, Indian Express experienced while reporting from ground zero in Afghanistan and its takeover by the Taliban.

The senior journalist who has actively been reporting from conflict zones, Shubhajit Roy was compelled to return to India when the situation got intense in Afghanistan. (there was no visible fighting on the streets). With chaos and uncertainty being the order of the day and concerns for personal safety growing, Roy had little option but to return to India, “a tactical retreat” he calls it. But this brief lull has only strengthened his resolve to head back to Afghanistan “when the situation stabilizes”.

“It was a very difficult decision to take because as a reporter, your first instinct is to stay on the story and not leave the spot. The decision I took to come back for the time was a tactical retreat. So, this is my firm commitment that once the situation stabilizes, if it permits, I will go back again to report from Afghanistan. That is our journalistic duty. If I don’t do that, I’ll be failing as a journalist,” Roy told India News Stream in a Zoom conversation recently. (September 19)

Eyewitness to the desperation, the sense of gloom and doom that enveloped the Afghan people following the brutal takeover of their government by the Taliban, Roy recalls that there was “an obvious sense of panic and desperation”, even before the takeover happened on August 15.

But after the takeover, he noticed the “ultimate sense of desperation” with nervous and fearful citizens packing their bags and leaving the country, many without a passport, a visa or a ticket. In one of his articles in the Indian Express he wrote about a harried man who said, “I will go to whichever place gives me a visa.”
Underscoring the need for organizations to spend more money on newsgathering in situations like this, Roy said, “More and more journalists should have gone. The fact that I was the only one from a mainstream newspaper to go to Afghanistan itself speaks about the situation in the Indian media.” He was one among the four Indian journalists there.
After everything that the people of Afghanistan have gone through over the years, Roy says there is a certain diffidence and hesitation among the people when speaking to a journalist. Describing the work that went into his story on Afghan women, he says that it is important to take help from people who will help one gain access to the situation.

“That is one of the things I did in this case. I had an Afghan woman translator, who helped me in approaching people even in these difficult times. That person can ask the question in a much more nuanced and polite manner than I can in a foreign language,” he said. He emphasized the importance of empathy when approaching people, adding that it ‘was a pleasant surprise to see people sharing their experiences and opening up’.
Speaking about managing all his reporting duties alone, Roy said that the advantages of being a print journalist was that he didn’t have to shoot every frame. “I have to record with my mind. I have to remember every word, every gesture that people make, what I see, the colour, the smell of the place, I need to observe everything. Over a period of time as a reporter, you train your mind to, in a sense, act as a camera and a recording device.”
Roy has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 12 years. Having covered almost every visit by a world leader to India, he emphasized the need to do extensive research or “homework”, before tackling any assignment.

His advice to the young and aspiring journalists: “Homework is very important. This will entail talking to people, doing research on how to approach people, what are the dos and don’ts of the culture (in this instance Afghan). You should know when to thank, what to say, those social and cultural nuances,” he listed.

As he avers, all these aspects of research are crucial to understanding the history and politics of the place. Another important pre-requisite is to assess risk objectively.

“There is no story worth giving your life for. There will always be unpredictability in a conflict situation but evaluating those risks minimizes risks,” he says.

Stating the importance of having enough contacts and a support system in a foreign land, he says, “your phone book can save your life.”

Being observant is an obvious quality necessary for reporting but the most important one is the ‘need to be empathetic’.

Roy’s writing style has a descriptive quality that helps the reader visualize the scene of the incident being reported. Highlighting the importance of observation, he says, “I would not write (everything) down but when speaking to someone I would notice what clothes they were wearing. I would ask them questions about where they were from. You are not just taking notes or taking pictures, but also paying attention and observing every little detail. As a reporter, that is one of the basic things you should know. And that’s sort of my way to report. I observe everything while I’m talking.”

When asked about how citizens should differentiate between real and fake news, he suggested a simple Google search to check where a piece of information had come from. If multiple trustworthy news outlets are reporting an incident, it should be believed to be true. However, information obtained through WhatsApp and other messaging applications should be “assumed to be fake unless proven otherwise”.

—-INDIA NEWS STREAM