Response to Article 1
- watchdogsjsjc
- Oct 20, 2023
- 4 min read
Response to Article 1
20th October 2023
2:51 A.M.
The launch:
On October 17th, at 7:30 A.M., two students- about five feet tall, entered the JSJC Central Block wearing all black. Their faces were covered with a five-rupee disposable mask. One stood still in the corridor while the other set the goods in respective classrooms.
The goods:
420 sheets disseminated in 16 bundles of 25 around the studio. The bundles carried note-tags to help the JSJC crowd adjust to an unusual morning.
The tags:
“JSJC, this is a launch. Kindly cooperate with us. – WatchDogs” “Take one. Leave the rest. These belong to the community. Happy Dussehra!” “Play ‘HUMBLE’ by Kendrick Lamar, for the vibes, when this unfolds.” IMPORTANT: “ALERT: Do not attempt to remove the sheets from the studio. In case, two bundles will be dropped in the reading room (etc.)” (Pictures attached)
Things to keep in mind when publishing an opinion piece on an elected leader at Jindal School of Journalism and Communication. 1. You are living in a panopticon-like state. In case, you demand anonymity, take precautions.
It took the CPO less than 10 hours to find us. We were informed that it took us five minutes to reach the third floor of the Academic block from our respective rooms.
2. Ensure you have enough printouts for distribution.
We left plenty, but within 3 hours, only a handful were left. All our notes were removed.
Same day at 7 P.M., post the CPO meeting, the team put up one pamphlet along with a handwritten note. (Picture attached). In less than 2 hours, it was taken off.
3. Be responsible for what you write. Two of our statements appeared like threats to the CPO.
Article 1 ended with, "Before you try to access the CCTV footage, know we already thought about it for you.” It left the impression to the administration that we had been able to tamper with the CCTV surveillance when it was never the intent.
“ALERT: Do not attempt to remove the sheets from the studio. In case, two bundles will be dropped in the FOB.”
This is not an attempt to justify the threat. We were apprehensive of being refrained from reaching an already small audience. The wording could have been better.
Note: Charges can be pressed against you on the basis of what you’ve written but not for the act of writing.
4. The administration will help you stay anonymous, given you reach out to the CPO before your launch.
We did not expect to be summoned by the CPO. So, when provided with a thirty-minute margin, we utilized our time to go through the code of conduct.
Sections that appeared relevant:
Silent hours dodged successfully.
The pamphlets were printed out by Shree Ram Printing and Stationery Hub, a printing centre in Sonipat. On that note, no university resources were utilized and hence not wasted.
We were appropriately dressed.
Critical: Posting or circulating any objectionable material in the form of notices, posters, pictures, leaflets, SMS, email, etc. on the campus is prohibited.
This was tricky. How do we define objectionable material?
We were not prepared with a defense. We nonetheless went in, only to realize that the representatives at the CPO were yet to read the article.
The WatchDog team refused to speak to the officials in the presence of the Student Council, taking into consideration the power dynamic.
A show cause was indeed mentioned, but we were left off with a soft warning. The team acknowledges the CPO’s understanding approach to the conflict.
We apologize for the threats and the attempt to hide our faces.
On that note, we would also like to apologize for discrediting Shravani Singh in Article 1.
J.T 4.0 was organized during her Presidency.
A message for all readers
'WatchDogs' comes from a place to make the students at JSJC understand the importance of one vote. We are a school of less than 500 kids. There are 5 students who are elected to a position of power thereby making them a public figure.
As a student and voter- you can practice your right to write about the public figure in the capacity of their position. There needs to be a platform to raise issues faced by the student body against not just the Administration, or faculty but also the Student Council.
An official at the CPO informed us that the President feared the article would end up discrediting all her work. In our understanding, we provided due credit. Mistakenly more.
We also realized a couple of things.
The work that we bring to the table looks less journalistic and more like activism. We have made peace with it.
On that note, “Journalism can never be anonymous”. The fact that we come from a journalism school, we would not like our activism to be anonymous either.
All that said, our point remains the same. If you’ve voted, you can write.
Going Forward
The 'About Us' page has a form, 'Be The Change You Want To See In The World', please refer to it. Please ensure the information you provide us is not just curse words but factual incidents that made you feel the lack of support or help from your council.
You can also go to our ‘Contact Us’ page and send us messages regarding any subject. That's the space you go to vent. We understand passion.
Regards,
Sadia Ahmad & Kritika Singh
Note: Student names at the bottom of the page are to be held accountable for whatever is published on behalf of Team WatchDogs.
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