You, a reporter currently working as an intern, accompanied a small group of reporters to a political event organized by the ruling party's state unit. The party was followed by dinner where you were also asked to join. Here, you noticed that alcohol was being served to some members of the ruling party. Consumption of alcohol had been declared illegal in the state a few months ago and the ban is being enforced strictly across the state. The other reporters in your group ignored the issue and asked you to ignore it as well. However, it was clear to you that the law was not being followed. (a) Identify the issues involved in this scenario. (b) What are your duties in such a scenario? (c) What course of action would you follow and why?

(1) Violation of law in my presence - If I am not part of the solution i.e. I do not report the issue, I become a party to the crime, whether I drink alcohol or not.

(2) Dereliction of duty by fellow journalists will put me into an ethical dilemma of whether to listen to seniors or do my duty.

(3) Serving alcohol in the ruling party's event sends a message that the govt itself is not serious in the implementation of the law.

Finding a situation which is illegal and unethical calls for following certain duties such as

→ Responsibility towards job → Ethical journalism → Observing and following law → Duty to be a responsible citizen → Being watchful, objective and honest in reporting the matter → Unbiased action → Persuasion of seniors accompanying me

Course of action → will be guided by morals and values - with upholding law being a core value.

First, I will approach my seniors again to persuade them to report it at the spot. If unsuccessful, I will file a report in my office to my seniors with complete details of the incident and a request to publish. If it is still not published, as a responsible citizen, I will file report the matter to law enforcement.

If I am successful in persuading my seniors at the spot, I will approach the organisers of the party stating to them that serving alcohol is illegal & should be stopped. Not only will it lead to punishment, but also bad publicity for the newly enforced law.