In a sense all good editors are crusaders/advocacy reporters for a cause or causes. In the early thirties and forties, till indeed India became free, journalism in our country was largely crusading journalism where the national press was concerned. And the crusading understandably was for freedom. The Free Press Journal in its early days ran strong stories supporting the cause of Indian shipping.
A crusade implies not merely a cause to be fought for but steadiness and constancy, a stout heart and an unflagging interest. A crusade is not fought by writing one editorial or one news story. Perseverance, often against entrenched hostility from the powers that be, is the hallmark of a crusade. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a crusader; so was Mahatma Gandhi. A crusade can be for any good cause: against child marriage, in favor of prohibition, for ushering in linguistic states… several are the cause that the Indian press has fought for over the years. The obvious characteristics of a crusade are that it is concerned with the public good as seen by the editor. In conducting a crusade, the editor may bring all the ammunition he has to the battle: editorials, depth-reporting, investigation reporting, even cartoons.
Participants