If a reporter’s currency is their byline, their greatest asset is access — whether to leaders in corporate India, to officials within the government, to actors, or to sportspersons. However, access is a complicated thing. It involves building trust and establishing contacts over the years. It is equally shaped by how a reporter and the organisation they work for are perceived.
After a stint in a smaller, digital-only media platform, I returned to The Hindu recently. The difference in access is stark. Back then, I would struggle to chase after companies, big or small; and I would have to cajole them to comment on a news development. Sometimes they would give me interviews, but more often than not, they would ignore me for days.
The same thing happened with government officials. As I enjoyed a personal rapport with some of them, they were open to having conversations. But those who did not know me did not care.
Now, the situation is different. The same companies I had hounded, and the several others that I did not, seem all too eager to organise ‘relationship building meetings’. For every data release or policy development, I get bombarded with quotes and press releases on what the heads of these companies have to say.
The government’s attitude has also changed, though not as radically. While earlier requests for meetings with Secretaries and Joint Secretaries fell on deaf ears, they are now entertained.
However, this is not a privilege I take for granted, since I have seen what happens when one does that. My first stint at The Hindu coincided with the time when Arun Jaitley was Finance Minister. Jaitley gave reporters more or less a free writ to roam the halls of the Ministry for stories.
This policy carried over briefly when Nirmala Sitharaman took over as Finance Minister. However, it soon stopped because the privilege was grossly abused. It was brought to the Minister’s attention that several reporters were ordering food from apps to be delivered directly to North Block, which not only houses the Home Ministry, but is also located opposite the Ministry of Defence and the Prime Minister’s Office. Some reporters went as far as to tail government officials on their way to the bathroom, hoping to get a quote from them.
Ms. Sitharaman decided to go the other extreme. She banned entry of all media persons to the Ministry, unless they had an official appointment. Those appointments, too, became rare. It took the media several years to regain her reluctant trust. Things are still far from where they were during Jaitley’s time, but they are certainly better than what they were in 2019.
Access also depends very much on the journalist’s work. Once I reported a foolish remark by a Minister. The news item was carried on the front page and I was immediately blacklisted. I no longer had access even off-the-record insights. It finally took a change of personnel in the Minister’s office for me to regain some semblance of access. The attempt to gain greater access remains ongoing.
Several media houses and journalists have ample access to officials simply because they write what the government wants them to. But the life of a credible reporter involves a constant balance between garnering access, our prime asset, and maintaining the credibility of our byline.
Published – July 04, 2025 01:10 am IST