India watched in horror as images on our TV screens showed NSG commandos being dropped from a helicopter onto the rooftop of Nariman House. We counted the number of commandos, could see their landing spot and the doors behind which they disappeared. So perhaps could the terrorist masterminds directing their operatives inside Nariman House through satellite phones. At Nariman House, we lost five innocents and one commando.
The terrorist masterminds had a clear mission- to create mayhem and spread fear. In their quest for higher ratings, did the Indian media become an unwitting partner in the terrorist masterminds’ quest?
There are cases of high-profile persons found murdered inside hotels, whose presence in the hotels had been revealed on television while terrorists still had control of the hotels. In some cases, relatives had been interviewed and these interviews were repeatedly broadcast. Even if the harried relatives did not have the clarity of thought at such a traumatic time to withhold the identity and last known location of their loved one, isn’t there a media code-of-conduct in place that instructs editors of news organizations to muffle such stories till the missing person is out of harm’s way? Is it possible that carrying such information on TV- that is easily accessible to the terrorists- may have put some missing person in jeopardy?
What do our NSG jawans think of the media’s minute-by-minute reporting of their strength and movement inside the Taj Hotel while their operation was underway? Did such reporting compromise a single effort or put a single life at risk?
We have heard that the authorities asked all media outlets to stop such reporting and desist from showing images of locations where security forces were operating. Sadly no media outlet complied, atleast not for long.
Official briefings by security forces, including the police, the naval command, the Army and the NSG were not enough to fill the 24×7 coverage, which the viewing public was clamoring for. Did the competitive zeal of journalists, their rivalry for breaking news and the pressure from viewers hungry for information, provide the terrorists with more information than they would have otherwise had?
Sadly, we must also consider the tone and tenor of the reportage, especially when we hit day two and three of the siege. As a filmmaker, I know a bit about using words, visuals and sounds to draw emotions in audiences, but then, I work in the realm of fiction. In the last few days, we have witnessed audio-visual tools used in fiction, being applied to news reports. One television promo was set to a powerful soundtrack of well-edited gun shots, rising to a beautiful crescendo, leaving the viewer quivering in his chair. Anchors and editors lost their voices and composure repeatedly, leaving the audience disconcerted. Our channels repeatedly showed the same images, as if they were happening over and over again, without the required caption stating “Repeat Telecast.”
The effect: passions were fanned and fear was stoked.
A woman crying for her missing husband became the focus for an entire hour on our TV channels- her personal grief turned into national drama. A gentleman searching for his wife (who was later reported dead) was asked, “What are you telling your children?” at which point he broke down; instead of letting him go, he was repeatedly asked by the journalist “Have we upset you? We think we have upset you. We must have upset you. We don’t want to upset you.” As hapless survivors were led out of hotels, journalists thrust their mikes and bodies in their way demanding exclusive interviews.
In the journalists’ defense, they were working in extreme situations for 30-40 hours without a break. Can you blame them for losing their composure and falling victim to melodrama on national TV? The entire media machinery, each producer, reporter, editor, assistant and office boy who is a part of that machinery, has worked very hard during the last few days and for this they deserve our admiration.
But these individuals and organizations also deserve better guidance that puts their talent and hard work to best use. They deserve a clearer leadership from their owners and managing editors who should urge them to follow a code-of-conduct that is beneficial to society, especially when calamity strikes.
Will the owners and managing editors stand up at this time in Indian history and take responsibility for their hasty reporting of the Bombay tragedy? Can they rise above the TRP race and together create a Common Code of Media Conduct Manual for the future?
A guiding light for such a manual can be: Don’t upset the viewers, inform them. Don’t tell them what to feel, give them facts. Fan their minds, not their hearts. Don’t manipulate. Don’t dabble in emotions- leave that to the fiction departments. Don’t use images, words and music to terrorise.DON’T SPREAD TEARS AND DON’T SPREAD FEAR.
The terrorists have done enough, the media must not carry on their mission. Media’s terrorism must stop now.
-Madhurika Sona Jain
I agree with you. Unfortunately they have to fill in air time and this is how they do it. Expose victims tragedies for entertainment/drama for others.