I have failed to read what's between the lines in Fred's piece on the media in Goa. By the way, what's a "journalist election"? And why should elections to the Goa Union of Journalist be any different than any elections which sees keen fights? Tough races speak volumes on the democratic process of elected bodies. I wish Fred had eleborated what he means by the statement "Over the past many years, both the politicians and our media has seen a death of ideology." If communlism has invaded the Goan Union of Journalists, then it is a sad case. But what on earth is "playing the cynical card." Is is akin to playing the "communal card." As a former member of the Mumbai Press Club, members played the card game called "rummy." ;-) The journalists' union is not a training institute per se. It can help in organizing seminars and career fairs for university students who are keen on joining the profession. It is not the union's job to impart journalism lessons. Fred says that "Someone suggested Goa deserves a college of education named after the legendary Frank Moraes." I am surprised at his journalistic integrity that he failed to mention my name as the person who made the suggestion in my essay in the book, In Black and White, which Fred edited and published. Fred has obviously failed in providing the basic journalism lesson to give the person the credit, particulaly since he knows which person made the suggestion. So, does it help in providing a moralistic essay on the virtues of journalism when the journalist himself does not honour the tenets of journalism? What the double negative in "not unwilling" Fred admits that the media scene in Goa has changed drastically. Then what is the problem? If politicians are taking interest in the elections of the Goa Union of Journalists, then the fault does not lie with the politicians. Journalists must do all they can to prevent any possible influence by politicians. Politicians would obviously love to have their puppets in position of power in the journalists' body. It is, therefore, imperative that journalists show moral courage and professional conduct in letting such things happen. Lastly, I would like to request Fred or, for that matter, anyone else to educated me on why Tilak (I assume Tilak is none other than Lokmanya Tilak) is the icon of the media in Goa.
Eugene Correia
