Editor's note
In today's hyper-paced world, where news headlines change every half-hour (or sooner), we are always moving onto the next breaking news. We are shocked, aghast, appalled, excited, and even hopeful (however rarely)—but only for a moment. Before long, news of flood victims is replaced by those of victims of landslides; horror stories of Hindu houses burnt to ashes fade away before reports of gang rapes of young girls; news of enforced disappearances make way for cases of police brutality, and so on. As our attention gets caught up in the tragedy of the Rohingya crisis, we, both the reporter and the reader, forget about the farmer in Sunamganj, or the day labourer in Thakurpara... and so the cycle continues.
Looking back is an arduous and unglamorous task. As the New Year kicks to a start, we are eager to move on, naturally enough, to better and brighter things. But can we really move on, we ask, if we haven't come to terms with the past?
In this special issue of Star Weekend, we look back at some of the headlines from last year and ask where we stand now. How are the victims of the natural and manmade disasters that made headlines last year? How far have we really come in resolving the issues of corruption or human rights abuses that plagued us in 2017?
As the media, our responsibility does not end with reporting on the sensational; it also lies in us doing the difficult task of following up, holding relevant authorities accountable, ensuring that we learn from past mistakes.
Let this be the year we pay attention to news that's no longer in the news.
Sushmita S Preetha
Editor, Star Weekend
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