What makes a journalist?

On 4 May 2022, a tweet posted by the Colombo-based reporter Chandani Kirinde sparked debate on the role of journalists in political movements. The tweet was in response to news that 12 people, including a journalist/blogger who had been participating in protests around Sri Lanka's economic crisis near Parliament, had been detained. "If he's a journalist, why is he protesting near the parliament instead of reporting on it?" she posted. In response, Kirinde received a flurry of criticism and personal insults, including (unfounded) accusations of being partial to the Rajapaksa government.

As it turned out, the protester in question was no longer a journalist, having left his previous workplace a month before. It's also worth noting that Sri Lankan journalists had joined the protests on numerous occasions. On 20 April, journalists marched from Colombo Fort to the Presidential Secretariat, calling for justice for journalists who were killed or abducted. Two days earlier, journalists also joined the protests at Gotagogama, the protest site at Galle Face Green, calling for accountability for attacks on the media. But Kirinde's tweet touched on a principle that most scribes strive to uphold – the idea of maintaining impartiality when reporting on news events. Chhetria Patrakar feels compelled to ask the question: what makes a journalist?