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Sainath lecture
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sambavi parthasarathy
2:16
P. Sainath begins his lecture by inviting questions. Answering a question concerning sensitivity, privilege and condescension he says, "Nobody is barred on the virtue of social background to being sensitive. The question is how you go about that."
He says that the first thing is to be very respectful and make sure to be very respectful of what they want.
He emphasises that behaving and treating others with dignity are important

He says that in each new Village he goes to, he starts from scratch. He strongly states that we must not try to assume prior knowledge

Sainath shares the three golden formulas to get ahead of a reporter. The first one is the I don't know attitude which gives the reporter the chance to accept and know. He secondly says that whenever in doubt, check it out.

Answering another question, he emphasises on how to go about the background check. He talks about why it is important for one to do homework ahead of the trip.
2:19
He talks about the things to follow when doing a background check.
The first step is to go to the census of India and read the District census handbook (DCH). DCH provides access to sex ratio etc taluka-wise/ block-wise. He also adds that it is important to get the spellings right.
2:25
He adds that it is important to not just get the spelling but the taluka name, district name etc which in fact is a storehouse of information. He explains that it provides an idea about population, tribal population, sex ratio etc.
2:30
The second thing he emphasises is the fact that Dalits and Adivasis don't live in the village. He points to this as the fault of the oldest apartheid system in the world. He talks about Bastis and parts of revenue village, which are not often included in the census. "They might be naming a hamlet. It is not their job to look into their areas, districts etc. That's your job."says Sainath.
2:32
Academia.edu and researchgate are the two websites he suggests to do a subject wised or location-based search to get some previously published papers for insights.
2:33
He says what issues you're going to look for determines the topic you pursue. He adds that PARI library which is available online will also provide students with relevant reports.
2:36
Sainath mentions the district website, with a warning that its quality varies across districts. He also asks the students to look into NRGS as well as articles available in the web.
2:37
Sainath answers another question on how to approach them as well as how to answer the question people we're covering might ask: 'What we're getting from this?'
2:40
He emphasises the behaviour of reporters and how they need to maintain the line between sensitivity and probing the question. He then asks to do a neat background check on google and read through all the relevant articles. He also adds that we link it back to the source of research. Lastly, he says that we read upon the village, its name, what they're doing, why etc (in context to Muzzafar communities which was cited in the question)
2:44
Answering how to appraoch them, he says it is important for journalists to establish their credibility and be transparent. He says that it is important to establish one's credibility with genuine interest in their community.
2:47
He then suggests that we can also network with organisations like farmer's unions etc. He also adds that we can develop sources with people working on-ground non-profit or political party or teacher/doctor who might genuinely help or who would be working in that area.
2:49
He says that often when these local people accompany you, the residents will feel much more comfortable starting the conversation. He says that it might give only an entry point. Ultimately, he says that one has to keep trying.
2:53
He says that it is important to use the data critically while it may not be of the utmost quality because we don't have an alternative for the census data. He specifies that it is on our part to update data. He also adds that we exist as journalists and it becomes important for us to edit the omissions and discard what we find to be wrong on our own evidence.
3:01
He says that the premise that the situation is well-known itself is wrong. He answers Navneeta's question by saying that one needs to be honest about the limitations of their work but let them know you're interested in them. "Entire journalism in PARI is based on everyday lives of everyday people and as far as possible, in voices of those people and put them in context.": says Sainath.
3:04
"That's what being a reporter is all about. How to make people talk to you." says Sainath He says that if one fails, we fail. He shares his own experience where thousands of interviews had meant nothing. He also warns that we should not take our camera and notepad right after seeing them and says that he has a conversation before taking notes.
3:12
Explaining how to approach people, he notes that we must be aware of the economic circles that already exist and talk to women, not in a group discussion but with utmost sensitivity.
3:13
"To do a story on the daily lives of common people, we need to know what their daily life is.", says Sainath.
3:17
He concludes by saying that when we do our reports and come back, we need to tell stories and not disclose them as reports.
3:18
And that's a wrap. Thank you for joining!
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