How apt was it to telecast a LIVE coverage of the Mumbai rescue Operations inside Taj, Nariman House and Oberoi Hotels?
With negligible empathy for the person, a journalist interviews a husband whose wife was trapped inside the Taj about how he feels and what was he telling his children about their missing mom. Following the military instructions (very ironically) she says the media have been requested not to divulge the details of the operations and then goes LIVE on air reveling the number and positioning of the commandos at each of the three places while the operations were still in the crucial stages. Precisely an hour after the world knew that the militants have been shot dead by the commandos, the same journalist does a ‘thumbs up interview’ with a commando and goes on top of her voice to ‘inform’ the world that there were ‘no more terrorists inside’.
The NSG chief himself condemned the media for divulging important details like the airdropping of commandos and their positioning in and around the complexes saying that “it took away the element of surprise for the militants and might have jeopardized the entire operation.”
Of course the calamity was of national importance and the citizens of the nation needed to be made well aware of the situation. But was the entire bullet by bullet, LIVE coverage of the epic necessary knowing that it might compromise with the safety of the hostages?
The media went on record mentioning the Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmiukh’s visit to the Taj Hotel along with his actor son Ritesh Deshmukh and director friend, Ram Gopal Verma, labeling it as insensitive and ruthless act. But if this was insensitive and ruthless, so was the no coverage of Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station or any of the hospitals and of the situation of ordinary people, their travails and trauma. For media, the prime focus was to cover the journalist Sabina Saikia, actor Ashish Choudhary’s sister, Yes Bank chairman Ashok Kapur’s tragic and untimely death, and the miraculous and (ironically) lucky escape of Israeli and Italian two year old kids. The media by its callous conduct and attitude showed that its sensationalism that sells and gets you TRPs!
The media need to have some respect for the people, their sentiments, before doing what they are "best at" -sensationalize the issue. Not to blame the junior journalists who have to serve media organizations which, amongst themselves have a cut throat competition in terms of TRP ratings and sensationalism, but the heartless reporting of the whole issue by some of the eminent senior and reputed journalists left the entire nation awestruck. The media, it seemed was immune to the sensitivity of the situation, especially when the operations were still happening and no less when it got over.
With negligible empathy for the person, a journalist interviews a husband whose wife was trapped inside the Taj about how he feels and what was he telling his children about their missing mom. Following the military instructions (very ironically) she says the media have been requested not to divulge the details of the operations and then goes LIVE on air reveling the number and positioning of the commandos at each of the three places while the operations were still in the crucial stages. Precisely an hour after the world knew that the militants have been shot dead by the commandos, the same journalist does a ‘thumbs up interview’ with a commando and goes on top of her voice to ‘inform’ the world that there were ‘no more terrorists inside’.
The NSG chief himself condemned the media for divulging important details like the airdropping of commandos and their positioning in and around the complexes saying that “it took away the element of surprise for the militants and might have jeopardized the entire operation.”
Of course the calamity was of national importance and the citizens of the nation needed to be made well aware of the situation. But was the entire bullet by bullet, LIVE coverage of the epic necessary knowing that it might compromise with the safety of the hostages?
The media went on record mentioning the Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmiukh’s visit to the Taj Hotel along with his actor son Ritesh Deshmukh and director friend, Ram Gopal Verma, labeling it as insensitive and ruthless act. But if this was insensitive and ruthless, so was the no coverage of Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station or any of the hospitals and of the situation of ordinary people, their travails and trauma. For media, the prime focus was to cover the journalist Sabina Saikia, actor Ashish Choudhary’s sister, Yes Bank chairman Ashok Kapur’s tragic and untimely death, and the miraculous and (ironically) lucky escape of Israeli and Italian two year old kids. The media by its callous conduct and attitude showed that its sensationalism that sells and gets you TRPs!
The media need to have some respect for the people, their sentiments, before doing what they are "best at" -sensationalize the issue. Not to blame the junior journalists who have to serve media organizations which, amongst themselves have a cut throat competition in terms of TRP ratings and sensationalism, but the heartless reporting of the whole issue by some of the eminent senior and reputed journalists left the entire nation awestruck. The media, it seemed was immune to the sensitivity of the situation, especially when the operations were still happening and no less when it got over.
I have followed the news coverage very closely, for 48 if not the horrendous 60 hours, I am a media student myself but I overtly condemn the media’s LIVE Video coverage of military operations as sensitive as these. After watching the LIVE coverage of the terror attacks I am petrified to step out of home, thanks to media and not the terrorists who have been brilliantly portrayed so. Watching it LIVE was my choice, but after all that I strongly feel that had the media been blacked-out during the span of the operations, the fear and panic instilled amongst the common mass would have been of much lesser degree. Talking in terms of the Mass Society theorists, however limited effect of the media have been empirically proven, media especially the new age media still have the ‘Magic Bullet’ effects amongst the youth at least.
In my opinion, the media has played a very immature role in the recent attacks whether it is covering the rescue operations LIVE or thrusting microphones at those who were in a state of shock just after being rescued. The protection and safe rescue of the hostages should have been the prime concern for both the commandos and the media and keeping that in mind the key information about their hideout should not have been aired publically. True, immediacy has been one of the major reasons for the roaring success and popularity of the electronic and new age media and the ever escalating dependency upon them, but so driven by the hunger of TRPs and sensationalism the media totally compromised with the lives of the hostages.
1 comment:
Yes-The media was immatured somtimes, but I wont blame them for being that way.The media can have the concern to be matured, but it should be measured&controlled only by the government.
This terror attacks weren't new,started way back from 1993,but the government is still sleeping,thanks to the media for this people's movement acroos India. India is a secular country,people are too emotional,so angry upfront and forget it in time,so media can be bit immatured to bind people together..
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