Pardon the really bad pun, but i had a bit of television news induced diabetes following the wall to wall television coverage of the boy stuck at the bottom of a well. This was the dumb newscasters’ dream come true – what can pull at the heart strings more than saving a child in distress. No analysis, no indepth knowledge, nothing needed really. Fix the camera and talk around the visuals. 50 hours of live coverage on all news channels. The news equivalent of a soap opera – prince bahar niklega ki nahi. Replete of course with cutaways of people of various religious persuasions praying. The only thing missing was Lata Mangeshkar singing "Ai Malik Tere Bandhe Hum" "There is someone coming up from the well" exclaimed one anchor "let’s see who it is" – Excuse me, who can it be? Another one stated – "there is a crane standing there, tell us what it does" – Ahem – what do cranes normally do ( and i don’t mean the flying kind) Another one stated – sarkar ko abhi kya karna chahiye (what should the Government do). Government is not omnipotent (nor should it be). Is the Government going to go around covering every ditch that is built by every neighbourhood. Nobody asked the vital question – what was an entire society doing with a 60 foot uncovered ditch, when there are kids playing around. What the hell was the contractor doing, and where is the criminal liability of these people. Or don’t news channels want to mention this, in the fear of spoiling the picture of "happily ever after"! In a country where almost 2000 children die every day due to lack of sanitation,and 2.5 million die every year mainly due to poverty related reasons, the media could play a stellar role in ensuring that questions are raised, and answers received on why this is happening. But, for that they have to work hard. And, that in a 24 hour, instant khichidi news scenario – with the kind of staff that they have -? is not possible. Finally, I empathise with the family’s dilema, and appreciate the rescue attempts – but surely there was other stuff equally newsworthy that happened that day. 37 news channels, and no news to watch!
A PoV
Harini Calamur's Writings
Exactly my sentiments!
News reporting has become more of a soap opera than actual hard-nosed reporting. It is targetted more at the heart than at the head! And of course, sms revenue generating opportunities that these stories present, are irresistible i guess!
Callous as it may sound, one of my colleagues remarked that people might just start jumping into pits (if not pushing their kids in) given the few minutes of fame that their acts may result in!
sameer, it really wouldn’t surprise me too.
another thing – how long before little prince grabs a contract for an endorsement or a role in the next bollywood extravaganza!
The greatest shame in this story is how strikingly similar Indian media is becoming to U.S. media. Is there any blurring of entertainment and news in Indian media? This phenomenon–where a TV show’s season finale, for example, becomes the lead story on the news–is all too common in the U.S.
So what strategies can India’s independent media sources pursue to make sure the meaningful stories get heard?
Whats wrong with you people? India is such a beautiful country where everybody helps everyody else, where hindu muslim sikh isaie sabhi hain sabbke bhai.
BTW, 60 farmers committed suicide after VVIP PM Manmohan Singh visited maharashtra not even a month ago. An average of 3 a day.
I realise that a kid in a 60 feet dep pit is a really a touching story but more than 40 hours of live news broadcast. Amazing. I just hope we have a BIG FIGHT about a kid in the pit. I am really pissed. What was the government doing?
I was wondering whether we, in the media have become newsmakers. The concern comes out of the fact that on the Sunday of 23rd July, most TV channels in India – big or small – were focussing on an event, which was relatively important but did not concern majority of the people.
The event :- A small child had fallen into a 50+ feet pit accidentally. Many organisations as well as individuals tried to rescue the child. Finally, after 45 hours of nonstop drama (by the various TV crews stationed there, from the time they came to know, till the end of the event), the boy was rescued. The whole Sunday went into showing the dramatic rescue.
The media is like a teacher. It is supposed to educate people. It is supposed to show news that matters to a vast number of people. Likewise, the media in the west too had “created†news by showing some war clips during the war against terror as Mr Bush would like us to believe.
And I read on the news sites that the chief minister of Haryana, the PM, and a dozen assorted number of stooges announce grand rewards to the stupid kid that fell into the hole, and to all the people who helped rescue him, and to all the people sitting in “prayer vigils” to pray for the poor kid…
what fun.
I was surprised to hear about this story being splashed all across news channels in India. I mean, there wasn’t even a ‘unique story’ angle to it. Looks like the Indian media is blindly aping the American channels…a la Natalie Hollaway style.
Hi Stephen
Given that all news channels are owned, run or controlled by those who run major entertainment channels – it is hardly surprising.
In India – the news frenzy over Indian Idol and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, was not even funny.
A couple of years ago the media got its tizzy over a woman called Gudia. She was a poor Muslim woman whose husband was in the army, declared missing presumed dead. She got married again, and then her husband reappeared. News channels got a team of Maulvi’s together – put her in a studio and essentially ran a mock trial. Where the Maulvis would decide who Gudia would stay with.
THis year when she died – she barely merited a inside page. A woman whose life was made into a public spectacle for ratings…..
News media in India, as much of the world, is losing its moral mooring. And unless it does something fast and radical about the way it approaches the world – i am afraid that sooner or later we are going to end up with some form of censorship.
Hi Sriram
sad but true. Unless it is designer wear clad and has streaks in its hair – the media is not interested
Remember the footage and acres of rain forest devoted to Karishma’s marriage and Abhishek Aishwarya engagement. Compare that to the coverage that farmer suicides or women’s abuse gets. If Jessica Lall or Priyadarshani Mattoo were dalit women in MP (and such cases also exist) would it have got the kind of attention that these cases are getting. I am not saying it is wrong to focus on these, just that don’t focus on this to the exclusion of everything else.
Sunil
Lol, truly LOL. as sameer pointed out – it won’t surprise me if people started jumping into pits ore the sea to get this kind of attention.
Did u see the news item about the two girls who ran away to participate in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – and when they ran out of money, and couldn’t find the studio – jumped into the sea!
This is really going out of control
Patrix
There is no journalism per se in the Indian context. There is only reportage. Place the camera and speak around the visuals!
There are a few magazines like Tehelka – but by and large it is completely celeb oriented.
And, there is no respect or regard for any of the norms/rules followed by western media.
For example when the NYT found that one of its reporters was making up stories, there was almost a 6 page angst ridden apology. Here there is no such concept. Newspapers and news channels break all norms and rules about reportage so blatantly.
Seriously, unless they get their house in order the Government will impose rules. And that would be a very, very dangerous thing.
well said !
About that episode about the two girls who attempted suicide… it was reported on a news channel yesterday that their father died of a heart attack brought on by shock of hearing about his daughters’ suicide attempt.
But this wasn’t reported widely in broadcast, print or online media. It seems that only ‘reality news’ worth covering is the one which can be milked for a long time… like a soap opera dragging endlessly.
When government talks about the broadcast bill, media cries for self-regulation. But when it comes to actually putting it in practice, no one wants to self-regulate. The other channel is doing it… so I will do it too!!