Fourth Estate – Whitherto

If the TV/ main newspaper reporting continues in the present style, then I will have no alternative but to shoot the TV ( since I can’t shoot the TV journalists ) and then migrate to Himalayas. Or I join them since I am good at writing / talking on any matter without any knowledge on the subject.

Days are not far off when we would be watching an interview in TV as below:

Interviewer ( Young lass of 26 something, oozing full of self
confidence, wearing western dress, using Yankee lingo, without a trace of Indian etiquette of reverence to elders and hence addressing by name without any prefix, aggressive, interrupting often, jumping from one context to another, ending the interview misquoting and with wrong conclusions )

‘ O.K. Azim, both Man and Amartya, who are with us here, were together in some college in USA (!), studied astrology and witchcraft (!!) and in due course both achieved success and became VVIPs (!!!). But do you rate their joint contribution below, equal or more than the contribution of Raj Thackeray in taking the Marathi Manoos or morons out of their stupor. Since time is running out, just give ‘ Yes’ or ‘ No’ answer.’


1. Should we call it ‘ Times of Obama ‘ and ‘ Hindustan Gossip.’

· ‘ Pundits conduct last rites for Citi’s Pandit’ - Headlines in Times of India ( 23.11.08 ). ( ‘ Un-Indian sickening language’ )
· ‘ Will jehadis have last laugh’ – Headline in Times of India. ( Is it not trivialising a very serious matter – was the levity called for ).
· ‘ Obama won because of wearing Hanuman Chalisa – So says pundits in Delhi ‘ Hindustan Times ( Poor Obama, God save him from such windbags ).
· ‘ Obama has not yet phoned Indian P.M.’ This is after the election of Obama as President of US. ( Is this not a clear cut case of our inflated ego ).
· ‘Ashok Chavan new kid in Maha block ‘ Times of India ( Is it a selection to the local football club. Where is the sense of proportion while using adjectives )
· Front page of photo of Maradona shaking hands of football aficionado ( Times of India ) – and the caption ‘ THE HAND OF GOD ‘ ( There is a limit to trivialising )
· ‘ 40% of Indians live with space less than that is available to American prisoners.’ Hindustan Times ( What sort of comparison is this )
· Wherever possible, any reporting should have an American angle or comparison with the position obtained in US of A. ( As if we are the second most important global player )
· Possible induction of some body as the Secretary of Interior in Obama Cabinet ( not a person known in India ) is reported with a lot of fan fare accompanied by a detailed write up, when India will have no impact on any area by the actions of Secretary of Interior of USA. ( There is a limit to America-mania )
· Virtually a controversy was built up on induction of an Indian born American citizen to the transition team of Obama, on the ground that she or her relatives had some connections with a Hindu party here. ( How rdiculous to think that we should have say in such matters )
· Many of the veteran political commentators had commented that for India McCain would be a better choice than Obama. But then the Indian English media had opted for Obama and wote off McCain even before the election ( because it was reflecting popular view, but not necessarily ground level reality ).
· Showing half nude pictures of some foreign film star in the inside page has become the in thing ( yes, voeurs like me would enjoy ogling at such pictures. But was it not out place in important National dailies ) .
· Media of late has started virtual trial in its columns ( camaflouged as ‘ after the truth ‘ and remaining within the borderline of legal propriety ) of individuals involved in violence and sex. ( the line differentiaing responsible and yellow media is blurring )
· In America when they started investigative reporting, we here started intuitive reporting. In depth reporting is being slowly replaced by trivia. ‘ suggestio falsi’ (positive misinterpretation not involving direct lie but going beyond concealment of truth ) and ‘suppressio veri ‘( suppression of truth, misrepresentation by concealment of facts that ought to be made known) are becoming increasingly the style.
· Discussions in the visual media are termed as ‘ fights ‘ probably emulating the American style and the anchors prod the main speakers to virtually fight. This mode is adopted brazenly on topics where there are hardly any differing views, e.g., infra structure deveopment ( Consider this with the matter of fact and sober discussions in the Lok Sabha TV of persons representing different partieis or perspectives on an issue ).
· ‘ People’s Verdict ‘ - is another con game. The number: a miniscule. Who votes: Retired people ( who never had any power while working and through the voting will have the satisfaction of being party to decision making ) or unemployed people or bored house wives. Have you ever voted? I have not.
· ‘ Our own Vishwanathan Anand is the King of Chess.’ A 30 second programme. And then ‘ On to the 230th episode of the cricket match between India and Somalia where India has roundly defeated Somalia.’ And the match is shown for another 15 minutes. Skewed priorities?
· Increasingly the intervieweing of VIPs or ordinary people is becoming the typical style of ‘ are you still beating your wife. Give ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answer, making the interviewed squirming because either ‘ Yes ‘ or ‘No’ answer would compromise his position.
· For panel discussions in the aftermath of the terrorist attack, invitee speakers invariably included some fading or budding film star, socialites and a few businessmen. Hardly sociologists, psychologists, historians, writers or thinkers are invited to participate. It would appear that the idea is to make the programme as glamorous as possible. ‘ Let us nuke Pakistan ‘ receives more applause than ‘ let us engage Pakistan in serious discussions.’ And the TV channels are looking essentially to that applause. That is the tragedy.
· Within a week of the attack on Mumbai, terrorists struck in Assam and killed 35 persons. How much coverage for that was given by the fourth estate in print/visual media? Next to nothing.

· Businessmen came with some inane sugestions. ‘We are prepared to pay an extra cess of 3% to deal with the matter. Industry bodies up in arms if the Government makes this proposal formally. Make Mumbai a separate Central unit - Will Maharashtra Government agree. Then if other major cities follow up with similar demands, what happens. Businessmen have suggestions which are akin to steps to be taken for making a business unit efficient. But that analogy can hardly be applied to a country, and that too a country like India. The focus was on Mumbai attack. What about Kashmiris, Assamese and people of many of the Naxalite infested Districts in Bihar, UP, etc., who have been living with terror for years, with rampant killings. In other words, the wake up call can come only when Mumbai or such other city and business people are affected. Incidently, where was the

2. Extracts from the article of Anil Dharkar, well known writer

“……..there are many viewers who feel that our television channels in their coverage of the horrific attack on Mumbai unleashed their own brand of terrorism. The criticicism centres on the following charges.

· Elitism: In those 60 hours when television covered the carnage, attention was focused almost exclusively on the Taj and Oberoi hotels with some time given to the commando operations at Nariman House. There was virtually no airtime given to the attacks of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or Cama Hospital. Yet the mayhem began there and 54 people were killed. Is that because the dead there were not from the elite?
· TV channels becoming the unwitting tools of the terrorists. During the siege of the Taj almost all channels ran the story that 150 people had taken refuge in its Chambers Club. When they were given the signal to leave they found the terrorists waiting for them; only a few escaped being brutally gunned down. The inference is clear. We, sitting in our homes were not the only ones watching TV. The terrorists were too.
· The commandos aired the problems they were facing to TV channels. This was obviously seen by terrorists also. The first rule of battle is that you do not reveal your weaknesses to the enemy.
· Competitivenes of TV channels in giving coverage ( meaning that winning the competition became more important than objective reporting ).
· Why were the anchors so loud and hysterical.


3. Jug Suraiya ( Contributing Editor to Times of India )

‘ The fame or notoriety of Somali pirates is the creation of the media.

In the case of resistible rise of Raj Thackery, a number of people are of the opinion that the Marathi chauvinist was ‘ creation ‘ of the media. Raj was and is a nobody, apolitical non entity until his infantile tantrums were picked up and amplified by newspapers and TV channels which gave him a spurious stature by according him far more coverage than he merited. If only the media had down played Raj Thackeray’s initial shenanigans he never would have assumed the monstrous dimension.

By and large, bad news outsellf good news: monsters and more marketable than teddy bears. So does the media create monsters?’

But then the qustion is: Why can’t Jug Suraiya, as Contributing Editor of Times of India, do something in respect of that paper.




4. Emulation of Hitler

The old boy Hitler got away with a trick, which now our visual media is imitating. To impress the crowd that gathered to witness the parade of soldiers at the beginning of World War II, about the prowess of military, the soldiers in the parade once out of sight of the people watching, changed their dresses and adorned new uniforms and again joined the march past, giving the impression to the crowd that the army assembled is mammoth. In the same way, the visual media repeatedly shows same pictures to exaggerate the gravity of any incident and that too within a time gap of ten minutes or so. Sometimes it is sickening, more so when the visual object is gore.

5. Haile Selase showed the way

Haile Selase ( Did I spell the name of the old chap correctly ) was the Emporer of Ethiopia a few decades back. The chap was King but wanted to become Emporer. Now the question before him was how to do it properly instead of anointing himself as Emperor. He had a la Chanakya as adviser who said that all the mofussil chiefs be promoted as kings. Who is above kings - the Emporer. So the guy became Emporer.

In the same fashion one major TV channel promoted all the commentators as Managing Directors. And the prima donna as the Group Managing Director. But to give a convoluted twist the chief was designated as the President, which is not the way designations are in vogue in the corporate world, i.e., a President would be lower in rank compared to Managing Director ( It is a clever ploy. Will these MDs get jobs in other news channels. Unless they also follow this ludicrous policy, no-one will touch them ).

6. O.K. these are their internal piccadillos. But why should they play havoc with the viewers / readers.

7. Gossip reporting and photos of more and more unclad lasses are increasing in the main dailies. Somebody could argue that if that be so and if the reader resents this change in style, the reader is free to shift to another paper, say, a staid one. But then over a period of time a newspaper changes the taste of its readers. He now likes gossip and semi nude photos. This is so world over and from time immeorial. The media caters to the demand / taste of the readers and slowly the media also influences the tastes of readers. So it is becoming a Hobson’s choice for the reader and viewer.

8. Recently the Government advised print and visual media to show restraint in publishing news and views on the terror attacks. Media has brazenly rejected this suggestion on the specious ground that they are only reflecting the ‘ actual ‘ and further it is the body now constituted by Government with a retired Supreme Court judge to look into such matters.

9. The Navy Chief ticked off the star visual media reporter for crossing the borderline in such matters. But by then, the star having become mega star, megalomania had infected her to such an extent that she virtually poured scorn on the stand of the Navy chief. The specious argument advanced was that media operated within its limits. That may be so. But what about decency, unintended harm, fuelling anger, etc.,

10. Times of India in its column of ‘ for and against ‘ on various issues had raised the following points:

‘ Government has issued an advisory indicating that Government feels that TV channels by focusing on ‘ gory ‘ images, ‘ tragedy ‘ and ‘ politician bashing ‘ – are not helping India overcome the Mumbai attacks. Further, according to Government, sensationalism may grab eyeballs, but playing on negatives will only gladden terror-mongers. India needs feel-good, not enfeebling.

The above advisory has been rejected by news channels.

There has been criticism of reportage showing gruesome footage or jeopardising commando operations in the rush for ‘ breaking news.’ Some TV anchors were seen using a tragic occasion for histriuonics and grandstanding. Others were said to fuel public ire against politicians - objectivity be damned.

Part justification of media comes by saying that media is now ‘ operating in the backdrop of ‘ dog-eat-dog competition,’ Related to print media, visual media is a kid in the block, meaning that it is still in the learning stage. As opinion makers the media has its duties. Independent channels cannot function with government counsel, however well meant it may be. News broadcasters have their own code of ethics (!!!!!!!! – exclamation remark by the author of this write-up) There is the citizens’ right to information. Consumers have choice.

Counter view: News coverage should refrain from whipping up anger, by repeating violent images. This prurient tendency has been called disaster porn, and research suggests it can add to fear and confusion. Children could be scarred for life after watching on TV showing such violent acts. News should be level headed and not hysterical.




Conclusions:

· Yes, it is realised that to some extent media caters to the tastes and wishes of the readers. But then over a period of time the media also sways the tastes of the readers.

· Government has now appointed a high power panel to oversee the media with a retired judge of Supreme Court as Chairman. But then such bodies would only frame some general guidelines for the media and would go into matters, such as, unethical, violating decency, against the interests of the country, unwittingly becoming party of communcal divide, etc., But the panel is unlikely to get involved in the nuances mentioned above. That restraint should come from within. Will it come. That is the question.

P.S: Let me end this somewhat depressing and bitter write up with something that would bring a smile to your lips

Manas Chakravarty writes an extremely witty column in Hindustan Times Sunday Edition. Extracts

‘The decision facing the Congress High Command was an exceptionally difficult one. The task was to find a chief minister for Maharashtra who would not only be effective against terror, but who would also be able to deliver the Maratha vote, not antagonise the sugar lobby, make sure the Dalits are not offended, assuage the fears of the people of the non-Marathwada area, taking into account Sharad Pawar’s feelings while cleverly trying to take votes away from him and, finally, ensuring that the new chief minister does not know Ram Gopal Varma.’

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