“A huge chunk of India’s mainstream media is dominated by a casteist mentality,” says Sumit Chauhan, an Ambedkarite journalist and caste activist. “There is no space for marginalised communities there,” he adds.
Research shows there is little sensitivity to issues of caste, communalism and discrimination in Indian newsrooms, and it is chiefly due to the near absence of journalists from marginalised communities. There is blatant underrepresentation of SCs, STs and OBCs in India’s newsrooms, owing to which the news they cover often ignores issues concerning the latter.
In a bid to pursue inclusivity and diversity while bringing to fore the woes marginalised communities face in India, Chauhan founded The Shudra, which was later rechristened The News Beak, a community-based media organisation covering issues on caste, class, gender, and social justice. Chauhan’s work makes him a rare voice for voiceless Dalits in Indian media.
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Active in journalism for nearly a decade, Chauhan has held various positions at many mainstream media portals. But, after witnessing how these organisations ignored news related to marginalised communities, he decided to part ways with mainstream media in 2020 and went on to pursue his own path.
In 2020, a 19-year-old Dalit woman was gang-raped in Hathras district, Uttar Pradesh. The girl later succumbed to her injuries in a hospital. “This incident was deliberately brushed under the carpet by mainstream media. But we made sure to cover the issue properly and contributed to pushing it into the national headlines,” says Chauhan, whose news platform also covers incidents of sexual violence against minorities. “We don’t only cover identity-based ostracisation or violence that the marginalised face, but also focus on government’s policies that are discriminatory towards them,” says Chauhan, adding “mostly, such issues are blatantly ignored by mainstream media.”
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The News Beak also runs awareness campaigns in a bid to educate people about the rampant and brewing communalism in India. “It is our duty to tell the people who are unaware that our fight is not one of mosque vs temple, and that as voters, they should not fall into traps of polarisation,” says Chauhan.
“I started this community media to give voice to the voiceless, and I will continue doing so,” says Chauhan who is aiming to establish National Bahujan Media to strengthen marginalised sections of society through journalism.
(This appeared in the print edition as "Voice of the Voiceless")
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