Like most others in blogosphere, I too read Barkha Dutt’s passionate defense of reportage on News Channels. My first response was to Fisk it. Wikipedia quotes Eric S. Raymond from the the Jargon File:
A point-by-point refutation of a blog entry or (especially) news story. A really stylish fisking is witty, logical, sarcastic and ruthlessly factual; flaming or handwaving is considered poor form.
As i began scanning through the justification, i mentally made notes. It was going to be a line by line rebuttal. the post began taking shape. I began typing it out. And then I stopped. What am I becoming ? Does Fisking really serve any purpose but to polarize opinions even more?
It is not about absolutes. It is about a continuum in which we all want to coexist, live, play, work and be happy. It is not about digging yourself into a hole or painting yourself into a corner. It is about meeting people and ideas half way. It is not about shouting someone down. It is about conversation, dialogue. The aim is not sarcasm, or wittiness or getting into a ‘tu tu mein mein‘ zone. It is not personal. It is not aimed at one person and their reportage, but a system that is failing us, as much as the politicians are.
The News media are the fourth estate. They are the watchdogs on behalf of civil society. They are supposed to keep a look out for when the state or the system messes up, and they are supposed to make us aware of lapses. they are supposed to be unbiased, neutral and a means for the audience to get timely reliable information.
Their role is not to pally up or be part of inner circles – they can’t by definition. Their role is not to gloss over the truth, because their patrons will get offended; and their role is not to cover the peccadilloes of the rich and famous to the exclusion of everything else. Their role is not to scream about the stable door after the horse has bolted, but before. The reason i am bringing up something that most bachelor level students of the media will know and appreciate is because the News Media in general and TV News media in particular has forgotten it.
So Let’s start with basics. Unedited footage, with a spur of the moment commentary, in situations like this, is dangerous. This is not a cricket match. This is National Security .
The basic defense is that mistakes were being made because it was a 60 hour coverage under tense, dangerous and emotive conditions. I appreciate the difficulties of 60 hour coverage. But, I don’t think that anyone asked the media to cover the issue live non stop. There were other stories breaking. A cylcone in Chennai that left 75+ dead (I could be cynical and say that slum people drowning is not news) , a dangerous situation in Thailand, where many Indians travel , elections in parts of India. As, Anjali Deshpande and S.K. Pande of the Delhi Union of Journalists point out:
The media behaved as if the country was so terrified it came to a standstill. As if Madhya Pradesh did not go to polls, as if Delhi did not vote, as if a former Prime Minister, V P Singh, did not pass away
Was there other news? Of course. But, the desire to keep viewership up by upping the pitch, and trying to vie with each other to get more gruesome and gory, won the day.
NDTV English continued showing the operation. It also took us to the scene outside the Trident. There Barkha Dutt spoke to the Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil asking him for details. She asked him whether there were any Indians among the hostages. RR Patil said he could not disclose information for it could affect the security of the people held hostage. Patil also pointed out that firing from outside could give away the direction from, which security forces were approaching the building. Despite that the channel showed where the commandos were hiding behind pillars! …..Whatever happened to the earlier decision to not telecast live in the interest of the ongoing operation?
There is something terribly scary about unedited footage going out with unedited scripts. And, when i talk about editors here, I don’t mean the function on a word processor or a the video editing system that you use to assemble a story. I mean the human who is competent and qualified to add ‘reason’ to a report. For reference of good reportage in emotional situaions, please look at Michael Buerk’s coverage of the Ethiopian famine, or Kate Adie’s coverage of Tiananmen Square, or even the US Network Coverage of 9/11. Let’s face facts, editorially 26/11 coverage was a disaster. You had live footage going on, with commentators trying to describe the events – almost like a ball to ball coverage, without the knowledge & insight that a cricket commentator has on the game.
Bring in systems that prevents this. News, has to go through an editorial filter. Having your editor on the ground sending out unfiltered thoughts and images is really a cop out !
At the second level you have the role of watchdog. It is all very well to bay about the fact that the NSG has only one plane tucked away in Chandigarh. now, that the delay has happened and the deed is done, let me ask the media – our watchdog- a question – Were you sleeping for all these years? Where is your reportage on things that impact us and our security? Where is your reportage on corruption? Where is your reportage on why Delhi houses aren’t really earthquake resistant – and what will happen there if there is an earthquake tomorrow ? How much petrol goes walkies from the army everyday ? Why is it that you aren’t asking why people are dying in floods 60 years after independence in a Capital city ? What can be done to prevent it? Where are your North Eastern Reports? Where are your features on Naxal activity? Where are your exposes on human right violations ? Where are you on people who make a difference, beyond the Page 3 crowd ? Is Saif Ali Khan’s tattoo really more important than this country and its people?
The sacrifice of news in the altar of ratings is again something that needs to be addressed at a policy level. Maybe a different metric needs to be evolved for news media, that is apart from the metric used to measure entertainment. Maybe news channels need to sit with agencies and clients to evolve this. There has to be a political will within the system to do that. I hope that they find it before it is too late.
The next is the issue of Responsibility and Common Sense. ‘The Government did not tell us to stand away’ is like one fifth standard play ground excuse. The analogy I will give you is with drinking and driving. Many of us didn’t drink and drive, even before it was an offense. If the Government had cracked down on media coverage, the response would have been ‘ they can’t catch the terrorists, but they cracked down on us’. What would you have the security forces do ? Get the situation in hand, or babysit a bunch of people who should have known better.
And what about its irresponsibility in inflaming passions. Whose idea was it to put Simi Garewal’s statement on ‘flags in slums’? She should not have made the statement. But, the broadcasters definitely should not have carried it. What are you trying to do? Start a riot – would that mean more TRP’s. Again, my question is, where is the editor ? Where is editorial ? Does it still have a role to play in news media ? This is the same kind of irresponsible behavior that had got us all inflamed during the Arushi case.
I hope that all of us are aware that News has become a platform for polar opposite Views. Not views that will come to a consensus, but views that will try and drown each other out with their decibels. They find nutcases on both sides of the spectrum and it is a free for all orgy of bad behavior! Because, when people behave badly, audiences watch. The same is the case with entertainment channels? But, at least they are more honest. They don’t occupy the moral high ground like news channels or journalists. They know that they are selling TRP’s and they fine tune their content accordingly. What is your excuse?
At the next level is this entire thing about Nation – India, Bharat. Why is there such media bias towardsMumbai and Delhi. Is it because your friends live here? Why are 60,000 people dying in Naxal attacks not news ? Why is 30% of our districts under Naxal control not an attack on India. Is it because they don’t drink at the Taj or Trident ? You need to answer the question whether you are metro news channels or National News Channels. And, maybe only National News channels have exclusive access to certain kinds of news !
And, finally sensitivity. Put your self in the shoes of Mrs. Karkare, Mrs.Kamte and Mrs.Salaskar – and ask your selves one question – how did they find out that their husband died ?
I believe in freedom of expression. I believe in a free and independent media as a cornerstone of a Democratic Republic. I believe in plurality of voices, opinions and thoughts. And, I believe that the news media, as it exists currently, is a threat to these . Because of their consistent bad behavior, their lapses as a watchdog, their irresponsibility and their insensitivity they are going to curb all of our freedoms. I wish that sense will prevail. I hope that they agree to bring in a code of conduct, i hope that they build a consensus for marketing and selling news differently, and i request the best among them to go and train the next generation.
Others on the role of the media, 26/11
1) Three days of Mumbai terror reporting - The Hoot
2) When Nationalism Triumphs responsible Reporting – The Hoot
3) Media and the Elite - The Statesman
4) We, the People- The Mumbai tragedy and the English language news media - Hindustan Times The Telegraph
5) The Channel box Carnage – Indian Express
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