India should not allow any more news channel now on and should also rethink about freedom of 24 hour news channels at the time when they are covering important events such as recent Mumbai attack. Crews of the TV channels create great indiscipline at every important function, calamity, disaster, crisis. They are not controlled by the government. They can show anything, say anything, do anything(Remember when Kandahar happened, how TV channels showed few more than hundred relatives of hostages on the street shouting against the government?)

Here are some interesting observations on role of the media during Mumbai terror attacks.

Spread rumor and create panic

-It was a Friday afternoon and TV channels started repeatedly telecasting that Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus area was attacked again by the terrorists. Firing was on and a hospital and Saint Xavier’s school were in danger as terrorists were inside. These TV channels showed this false news in large moving, sliding, poping and zooming animated text in bright colors on the screen with exciting and sensation creating background music again and again. Their anchors talked to the field reporters who in response were telling that terrorists had again strike on the streets of southern Mumbai and people were requested by the authority to stay inside. Actually nothing like this had happened. For around half an hour these channels continued to spread rumor and panic in Mumbai by telecasting false news shamefully. They realized their mistake only after around half an hour time and then they suddenly diverted their focus again at the Taj hotel attack. While one channel admitted in text flash on the screen that fresh attack news that they broadcast was only rumor, another channels just to keep their ‘prestige’ intact didn’t care to admit that this was a rumor and a mistake.

A stupid behind mike

-When Narendra Modi came out from Karkare’s house, one TV channel reporter asked him a question so immature and rubbish that you would not believe. He asked Modi “Do you think battle again terrorism is going on well? More than 36 hours have elapsed!”

Perhaps this TV journalist had sinister idea of putting some words in Narendra Modi’s mouth to make an issue and create a big controversy out of it but Modi smartly replied that “I would not deliver any political comment at such time, Army’s brave javans, police and NSG commandos are putting their lives to fight. One should not make an issue out of how much time they are taking. At such time we should boost their morals, we should back them and support them.”

-Media published that Hemant Karkare’s wife had refused to accept Modi’s monitory help offer when Modi offered while his visit to Karkare’s house. This was a complete untruth. The truth was that when Modi visited Karkare’s house, her wife was inside the other room. Modi only met Karkare’s son but never met his wife and Modi had not offered monitory aid to his son. How then the question arises of refusal and denial?

Make non-issue an issue

-TV channels can make issues out of non-issues to fill 24 hours sacred time. When Vilasrao following the foot steps of Modi visited Oberoi site, he talked about everything with the media but did not mention even a word about Modi’s visit. Modi’s visit was not an issue. Modi had visited up to the limit where any common person could visit and he was Modi who named Pakistan at the ground zero(The Prime Minister didn’t or couldn’t) which was very crucial.

But it was some person in media who wanted to make an issue out of Modi’s visit. A vocal journalist asked Deshmukh about Modi’s visit and thus visibly prompted him to say something on that to make an issue.

The question that journalist asked to Deshmukh was “Do you think the Gujarat Chief Minister should have been here in Maharashtra when the Army is handling this so professionally?” The question contained intentions of the journalist who asked it. If he was an unbiased journalist he could simply ask “Deshmukhji please say something on Modi’s visit” but this journalist asked a question in a fashion that would obviously bring an answer that he wanted; Negative and newsworthy for his kind of school of journalism.

Tell me how professionally acting army inside the building and Narendra Modi’s presence at considerably well distance away were connected? Modi had visited the place up to the point where any common person on street could go. In fact 24 hour TV journalists working for more TRPs, more sensation and more profit for their commercial organizations could be more obstructing to the Army’s professional operation. On Friday in the afternoon authority had to order to stop live telecast of the actions and OB vans of profit making channels were moved from the place. Army also had to disconnect TV lines inside the hotels that were attacked because minute to minute live news could be helping the terrorists and their masters based across the border.

-When BJP’s Advani and Rajnathsingh could not participate in PM’s post-Mumbai attacks all party meet they sent Jashwant singh there to represent the BJP. NDTV made an issue out of this in a tone that BJP’s big leaders were deliberately not participating in a crucial meet. Talking to NDTV over a phone, Arun Jaitly advised NDTV not to make an issue out of non issue thing. He said that Advani and Rajnath’s election campaign schedules were fixed days ago and if another two top BJP leaders were already sent to the meeting, what was the issue there?

False news by sacred news service

-PTI on 29th of October released news on Porbandar’s missing fishermen bodies. It said that bodies were found. However bodies are still not found. The news item was baseless. Read on PTI’s cooked story on The Hindu website.

Making money out of those who are killed

-Last and bit funny thing. One prominent NGO style TV channel is showing on it’s screen an animation of digital burning candle ‘to respect’ those who died in Mumbai terror attacks. This channel requests people to SMS on certain number to keep this candle alive. I don’t know how much each SMS costs but as per my knowledge such SMSes add healthy income to TV channels because they are charged commercially.

If the TV channel had announced to distribute income generated by such SMSes to the relatives of those who died in attack, it could be considered as a welcome step with a good idea but nothing like that has been announced.

Long live India!

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