The Media Circus

I was going through CNN-IBN’s program 'Face The Nation' yesterday. The program discusses the main issue of the day. Yesterday it was about the changing face of the Terrorist and how it is observed that muslims youths are nervous about police resorting to area wise searches first in Jamia Nagar and than in Azamgarh.

Interestingly during a commercial break I switched to NDTV and I found that their topic of discussion is same!! The difference was ofcourse the host and the panel. As I watched Face the Nation I was wondering what really these news channels intend to come out with? Do they want some masala debate or do they really want to come out with a real solution to a particular problem?

Take the recent attacks on Christians for example. The media was more focused on collecting all sorts of abuses from around the country against the BJP and its so called ‘Communal’ actions. None of the news channels went to the people who were beaten or none of them went to those who had reasons to vandalize these churches. What they did instead was to sit in their studios and ask questions to ‘LEADERS’ who were not present at the ground.

Same is the case with Bihar floods. Media was more busy to take Nitish kumar’s reactions to Lalu’s allegations against the state government. What I mean to say is even when the flood has affected lakhs of people, the media was more interested to highlight the blame game. Sometime politics should take a backseat and it the media which can easily do so by not even asking questions which will lead to blame games.

When MNS workers attacked innocent north Indians on the streets of Maharasthra, the cameramen of different news channels were busy taking live footage of such actions knowing fully well that these offenders were beating innocents intentionally in front of the cameras so that their message goes out to the public.

The Media must understand that they are the tool for everyone to get publicity. Be it the political parties or be it the people who want to create instability. It is very important that these news channels should have a purpose behind reporting news.

Coming to the program, which I was watching I would like to say that as a news channel they have to decide what they want to telecast. A university student saying that “Probably the victim could have been shot on his leg” was something which according to me did not deserve to be aired. Same is the case with the report that “Muslims youths are nervous because of the police’s crackdown”.

In a democracy everyone has to express his/her views but we must understand that in the name of democracy we cannot afford to encourage anyone doing or saying anything they like.

Sometimes for the larger good not taking the middle path is the best option.