Fatigue of a sort is now showing in the society. This is not an encouraging sign by any standard.

Information flow is critically important at this time when the nation is fighting one of the most dangerous scourges of our time. 

We are doing well—this is the general, prevailing belief among our people, which is good—but could we be also faltering at the same time?

When there isn’t clear information flow, journalists will dig. It is their job to delve deep into the issues that concern the life of the nation and the people and to forewarn them about the imminent pitfalls, or, pratfalls. Put another way, journalists have the duty to show the good by writing about the bad.

But are our journalists digging the right way? Are they really doing what they are supposed to do? This has been the timeless tussle or scrimmage between newswriters and newsmakers. In the years to come, this relationship might even become dangerously meaningless.

When newsmakers and journalists do not trust each other and can’t work together, there is a serious problem. They may hold their ground for whatever reason, but who is gaining in the end? Distortion of news and messages is bound to happen when information comes in bits and pieces. 

In a society like ours where gossip is still the most efficient way of passing information, this way of passing information can be very unhealthy.

Clarity from both sides is, therefore, absolutely important. Those who are in the know may think there is no need to disseminate occurrences of small developments as news to the people but, often, it is in such situations, particularly in a society like ours, that it can do more harm than good.

We need to know what and who we are. “Bombed” as we are by the Covid-19 pandemic, we cannot afford to scatter away to defend our individual selves. If there is one way to face the pandemic, it is by leaving our differences aside and by confronting our common enemy together.

Reasonableness is what we need. And that does not and ought not to mean losing sanity because we have a long way to go together. 

What is important is to know what we must do and how we must act. Fatigue is accepting defeat.

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