The expert and the journalist
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For a healthy democracy, complex ideas ought to be made accessible to all
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For a healthy democracy, complex ideas ought to be made accessible to all The passing of Patna-based social scientist Shaibal Gupta recently got me thinking about the relationship between experts and journalists, which is a complicated one.
Many experts, particularly those in academia, use the word ‘journalistic’ in a rather disapproving way. The implication is that journalism is non-rigorous and lacking in nuances. It is a different matter that good journalists are expected to be, and are, rigorous and attentive to nuance. A more counterproductive approach by many experts is to assume that complex questions cannot be presented in a simple language. Some experts, who are not really rigorous themselves, resort to complicated writing to hide their own inadequacies. Gupta was someone who did not wear his knowledge and wisdom on his sleeve
India News: PATNA: Shaibal Gupta, the renowned economist and founder of the Asia Development Research Institute (ADRI), passed away in Patna on Thursday after a p.
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Few understood Bihar better than social scientist Shaibal Gupta January 29, 2021, 8:59 PM IST
Avijit Ghosh is a associate editor with The Times of India. He is addicted to films, music, cricket and football and not necessarily in that order. He is the author of Bandicoots in the Moonlight, Cinema Bhojpuri, 40 Retakes, and now, Up Campus, Down Campus, a novel set in 1980s JNU. He tweets from the handles @avijitghoshtoi and @cinemawaleghosh LESS. MORE
Meeting Shaibal Gupta was indispensable for any journalist on assignment to Bihar. Be it the state’s assembly election, its political economy or its industrial sector, the social scientist was a one-stop storehouse of knowledge, his perspective much sought-after. Gupta, who passed away on Thursday after prolonged illness in Patna, belonged to that rare breed of academics who could offer both information and insight. He was 67.