A letter to electronic media...with no hard feelings

Neither I am too qualified to speak on this issue nor I have an urgent requirement, its just that I have noticed something in past few days and I am getting sort of disturbed by the happenings. The reporting by some sections of electronic media has made my head chock a block full with intricacies, apprehensions and some questions.

I have a keen interest in politics, thanks to my father who wants all of the family members to listen and watch quality news, and for that reason I have been following politics, political parties and their leaders for last 10 years, since I was in 7th standard.

I have always been an ardent follower of news channels like NDTV and Aaj Tak,for they have always truly represent the meaning of mature democracy and responsible reporting, which India never heard of before these channels and other channels of the ilk came to fore. But as they say, Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do. And for the news channels, the character is changing. In this post I would like to make some observations and examine whether or not the media houses are delivering what they are supposed to do, or they are just beating around the bush.

But let me make it very clear and state it categorically that I do not endorse the ideology of any particular political party. It’s just that I have observed something awry happening in a particular section of the electronic media that I wish to bring to the forefront.

Let me start with the coverage of release of BJP’s manifesto, as NDTV and CNNIbn has more often than not been accused of being biased against the main opposition party. As a person of age 22 and being socially responsive, I found 3 points from the manifesto of BJP, worth mentioning and which made me consider the possibility of exercising my franchise.[ This is the first time I am going to cast my vote in a general election]

Firstly, the part has promised that–Education and Job quota will be introduced for economically backward sections of society other than SCs, STs and OBCs, for whom reservations will continue.

Secondly, the party has promised that Study loans will be made cheaper and more accessible by fixing student loan interest at 4%.

Third promise of introducing a comprehensive National Identity Card for all citizens of India. Along with that the part also promises that –We will systematically detect, detain and deport illegal immigrants who have emerged as a major source of homegrown terror. Fencing of the India-Bangladesh border, will be speedily completed.

Other unconventional highlight was importance given to the issue of global warming.

But as the BJP stalwarts were announcing the manifesto, the news channels NDTV and CNNIBN started rolling tickers with captions like ’Ram with Governence’, BJP ki Ramleela, BJP ko yaad aaye Raam, Advani ka Ram Rajya and many more like these. Advani made a brief statement at the eve of releasing the manifesto and in that statement he announced or rather expressed his desire of Ram Rajya in the country. RamRajya as is known symbolizes the epitome of good governance and welfare of all sections of the society i.e. collective welfare and inclusive growth. It has got to do nothing in favor or against any particular community or faith.

Recently I came across a blog of a Nagpur based professor cum Blogger on sulekha.com who puts this issue blatantly –

I still believe that the role of the media is to bring the truth of the things before the public. But had it been only sensationalization, I would have gulped down the foul taste in my mouth, put my head down and carried on. But it seems that the media has taken a whole new avatar and is now the most active, vile, and vicious campaigner for a political party or a political group. And this makes it very dangerous.

More dangerous than any dictator. More dangerous that a government appointed publicity manager even though that manager may possess the abilities of a Goering. It is dangerous because normally the ills of the society are brought to light through the media. When the media campaigns, it hides the ills on one side, magnifies those of the other side, perpetrates several lies in order to achieve this, holds governments to ransom since it was on its back that the government got power, and therefore has a vicious grip which it can - and will - use selfishly for its own ends.

I was just being an idiot and listening to the TV news. Any sane minded person should have long stopped watching the tamasha that is our news. But old habits,they say, die hard. On the prime time show of much celebrated news channel the reporter talked about Advani asking the government to be serious about the black money in the swiss banks - some 70 lakh crore or some such vulgar amount - and probe to whom does it belong and then to bring it home. Then he said that Kapil Sibbal - he of the obnoxious smile - of Congress had said that Congress does not need suggestion from Advani. Then the camera thought it proper to show his devilishly smiling mug and broadcast his smug words. What he said was something like this : What was Advani doing when he was the home minister? What was NDA doing when it was in the government? Why did they not do smoething about it then? Had Advani raised this point in Parliament, honorable Prime Minister would have answered it. And blah blah and more blah.

The reporter shifted to another news. To another news? Why? Was there not something significant that was being missed? Something that has happened just days previously and that the TV reporters know about. What is being missed is being deliberately missed. Make no mistake about it. Days previously, the swiss banks announced a change in their policy. Previously a government wanting to know about money deposited by its nationals had to prove fraud and go through several insurmountable hurdles before getting the information. Now the government just needs to ask. They will tell who holds the account. And what is the amount of money the crook holds. That is what has happened when US president Barack Obama has pressed down heavily on swiss banks to reveal the name of 300 CEOs and top executives of American MNCs, holding surfeit amounts of bonuses and cash incentives in these accounts.

Also in the same episode, YogGuru Baba Ramdev was putting across his points for he was a special invitee, for the fact that he has asked the hoi polloi to vote for the party[do not read BJP] that promises to bring back the black money from the swiss banks. The channel awarded him by the caption—Baba par chadha chunaavi rang[Baba in election mode].

Opinion polls asking questions like—do you think the person who consults astronomers before filing his nomination can run the country, not only tangles the public with frivolous questions but also attacks the faith of the candidate which is too personal a matter and often ultimately leads to mudslinging.

Has the media become insensitized too? No. It has not. It is merely acting blind, deaf and dumb in order to favor one party, one group. So that when that group comes to power, the real ruler is the media. And thereby hangs the biggest danger to Indian democracy - whatever idiotic democracy it may be, whatever it may be in the name of democarcy. Tomorrow you will be ruled by the media. A rule worse than any dictator’s rule, even though that dictator may be worse than a Saddam or a Stalin.

Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character. Albert Einstein quotes.

It seems that some news channels have been paid for campaigning for a particular political party. Always highlighting the so called shining images of one faction and projecting the young son of the party leader as the face of young India or the leader of the youth, doesn’t matter whether he speaks for the youth or not, whether its anti-reservation protests or any other matter of importance to youth. Showcasing how the same young leader spends a single night in the shanty of a ‘dalit’, for several nights on prime time.

When Jagdeesh Tytler was let off by the CBI, he came out a hero. The two news channels had the headlines “I am glad the truth finally came out: Tytler”. The news channels have already decided that Tytler is innocent even before the court decides.

I may sound like a chauvinist but same rule of the same media rule book could be applied to Varun Gandhi as well.

It seems that media houses will do anything to get some disgusting sensational piece of breaking news—news that breaks the reputation of one political party which in the channels’ opinion is not fit to rule the country!

The high handedness and brash conduct of some media houses have always been in public domain, not in news though; who will play the news is the question. Barkha Dutt’s reporting of the Kargil conflict was criticized by The Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta who insinuated that she may have compromised the security of the troops by giving away locations. Ms Dutt refuted these charges, citing former Army chief Gen VP Malik’s book that had proved otherwise. General Malik had been army chief during the Kargil conflict.

Barkha Dutt, according to many publications, was the journalist who came in for the most criticism after the Mumbai Terror Attacks. It has been reported in Times Of India, that the LeT handlers warned the terrorists by during the Mumbai attacks about the impendng arrival of commandos by following Live TV reports. “The FBI has given to Pakistan evidence amassed by it on involvement of elements based in that country in the Mumbai strikes, including on the LeT handlers’ warning to the attackers about the arrival of Indian commandos while watching the mayhem live on TV (NDTV), a media report here said on Sunday.” Also, the channel has often been critcized for being heavily biased against the main opposition party BJP.

NDTV issued a legal notice to a blogger Chetan Kunte for “abusive free speech” for a post criticizing their coverage of the Mumbai attacks. The blogger unconditionally withdrew his post, replacing it with legal undertaking and an admission that his post had been “defamatory and untrue” which resulted in several Indian bloggers criticizing NDTV for trying to silence critics. The comments and observations made by one of the blogger is as follows— _____ reminds NDTV and Barkha Dutt where and why they are wrong in this drama. Can you imagine if what would have happened if any of the politicians had dared to sue NDTV for libel. Not only NDTV but everyone in English media would be crying fascism like it was Third Reich. This despite the fact that not only a politician has as much right to redressal as NDTV but also the blogger probably has a stronger case for libel against Barkha Dutt (and English media) as she has got against Kunte.

Arguing strongly, I believe the time has come for the news channels to appoint an ombudsman or the government should set up an independent watchdog to ‘scan’, not regulate the news and information passed onto the general public so the media houses and electronic media in particular, owing to its wider reach and accessibility , shall not be able to twist, flex and concoct the facts and figures ,especially at the time when the country is going to celebrate the festival of biggest democracy in the world.

–Abhay Mittal–

abymittal@gmail.com