Analyze on few points.
- The Kashmir no not an easy place to work for even profession journalists, why was she so much interested in Kashmir instead she can get the opportunity in metro cites easily?
- When she was asked will she be comfortable in staying at residence, she said will talk to parents, why she didn’t replied straight ‘NO?
- Why she waited for the whole next day and did not posted on the social media?
- And she has clearly mentioned in comment that she wanted to build pressure. For what purpose she wanted to build pressure?
- And the important thing to note here is, internship in journalism is sought by those freshers who complete their degree in journalism and wanted to gain some practical experience under the supervision of a senior. But when you will go through the resume of this girl, she has not any degree in journalism. Secondly in her resume and profile details she claimed to have worked as Editor, Editor-in-Chief and other positions, so what is compelling her to go for internship at own expenses? How convincing is this that an Editor-in-Chief seeks internship that too from a lesser known online outlet? Isn’t the intention questionable?
- If she was harassed, as she is claiming, then why she was waiting for our response whether we will offer her internship, check her last message, it clears everything.
JAMMU: Quite strange but it is a fact, these days few people with some hidden intentions to get publicity and sympathy across and develop pressure tactics on selected individuals to cash some benefits or favours have started approaching you on social media or on your personnel numbers instead of formal official communiqué emails.
Firstly they will approach in a humble way and pretend to be so innocent that you will think of helping them, they seek. But keeping in view the fake presence of such people on the social media, it is obvious one goes own way for inquiries, to find out the intentions of the person contacting you. In the process you inquire about every possible aspect, before offering help or assistance.
As obvious, ways may be different from individual to individual but one asks for purpose, interest, strategy, plan, type of person and other related things, which concerns you before taking a decision or agreeing to what the other person is asking for or seeking from you.
Similarly, instead of adopting formal procedure through official email to communicate, one of our employees received a message from a person who as per social media profile appears to be a girl from Kolkata. (As per our policy we will not be naming her).
She sought help in internship at our organisation and wanted to work in Kashmir, which is not an easy place for an unexperienced and outside state person keeping in mind the day to day happenings and violence related incidents.
To be clear, before giving any sort of commitment, we have to be concerned about the person’s safety, like where the person can stay, and how the person wanted to work at a place which observes shutdown, witnesses’ stone pelting incidents and violence. The girl was clearly told that she will not be paid anything if allowed to work for the organisation as intern. To this without giving a second thought, she agreed.
This gave a bit doubt to our mind, and we asked why is she interested in Kashmir only, and she gave her own opinion on that which was not convincing enough.
She was asked, where will she live, she replied that she will go for paying guest facility. The paying guest facility is not much popular in Kashmir valley and if any not easily available. This caused a bit more doubt in our mind that what is so dire need to do internship in Kashmir and that to without and payment for work with an online outlet which is not so much popular outside. We gave her a option that she keep working own way and mail us the material, we will keep publishing and at the end, we will issue a certificate to her for her work. But she expressed that she wanted to work under a senior team member of ours.
To dig out more from inside, she was asked, will she be any problem in traveling with man for reporting, she replied quick, and said, it would be not a problem for her.
At the same time, to know deeper of her mind, she was told that will she be willing to stay at private residence, at the same time she was told that family will not be here as they will go to village. To this every girl would gave a straight forward answer with big NO, as it is not acceptable to anyone, but, instead she said, will talk to parents. Moreover what is wrong in offering someone to stay if the house is empty for some time, as choice rests with the individual weather the person is comfortable or not.
We replied clearly that no parent will ever allow this to stay at residence of a man where he is alone and family is out. This can be seen clearly from the screen shot of her post on social network, if she has posted this too. (This question was deliberate. While the reality is no family is going out to any village and no one allows any stranger girl to stay at home. But quite surprisingly, she further added if she would have been working with for a couple of months, she would have considered staying.
During the entire conversation which ended at 11: 43 night as this side was finished with the routine work.
The last message from her was she will be waiting for our response to offer her internship with end words “Good Night” which from this side was also replied with “Good Night”.
The chat ended at 11:43 and next day passed, maybe she was waiting to get response from us, but we didn’t responded, keeping in view several things in mind. The first thing was if we offer her internship, it would become our responsibility to ensure her security and safety, to which we were not convinced at own self. So we thought of not replying back, so she understands, we will not offer this help.
And since we started our operations, we have never invited anyone till date for internship; however, we gave chance to every volunteer to contribute the stories and articles.
We were not aware that her intentions were not internship but something else. A message was flagged to us on social media that we have harassed her. Before judging anything, one should go through the entire conversation and read between the lines, then tag us.
The question arises here, why she waited for the next day evening and posted after 5 pm, if her intentions were so clear she should have posted all the screen shots right in the morning or at the same time the conversation ended.
But no, she waited till evening that we may offer her the internship, for which she approached and when she was convinced that she will not get any reply, she narrated the story in her way on the social media and started gaining sympathy. The expressing sympathy with her is not a bad thing one should be sympathetic and helpful but they should also see the other side of coin and analyse.
They should analyse on few points.
1. The Kashmir no not an easy place to work for even profession journalists, why was she so much interested in Kashmir instead she can get the opportunity in metro cites easily?
2. When she was asked will she be comfortable in staying at residence, she said will talk to parents, why she didn’t replied straight ‘NO?
3. Why she waited for the whole next day and did not posted on the social media?
4. And she has clearly mentioned in comment that she wanted to build pressure. For what purpose she wanted to build pressure?
5. And the important thing to note here is, internship in journalism is sought by those freshers who complete their degree in journalism and wanted to gain some practical experience under the supervision of a senior. But when you will go through the resume of this girl, she has not any degree in journalism. Secondly in her resume and profile details she claimed to have worked as Editor, Editor-in-Chief and other positions, so what is compelling her to go for internship at own expenses? How convincing is this that an Editor-in-Chief seeks internship that too from a lesser known online outlet? Isn’t the intention questionable?
6. If she was harassed, as she is claiming, then why she was waiting for our response whether we will offer her internship, check her last message, it clears everything.
In the concluding words, it simply looks a case of planned trap, to get publicity, sympathy and visibility on social networking.