Survey Of Bangalore Based Kannada Newspapers

Survey Of Bangalore Based Kannada Newspapers

Kannada News Papers covered

PRAJAVANI
VIJAYA KARNATAKA

KANNADA PRABHA

UDAYAVANI
SAMYUKTHA KARNATAKA

Period
28 February - 16 March 2002

This report is a random survey of the Gujarat Violence covered in the above said newspapers during the period mentioned above. The report focuses on how the Kannada Press responded to the carnage by taking into account the stories, Photographs published and examining the headlines, captions editorials, letters etc.

PRAJAVANI

The coverage of the Gujarat Violence during the period under study in PRAJAVANI is comprehensive both in terms of scale and depth.

PRAJAVANI depended on both agencies and correspondents¿ stories to bring home the details of the Gujarat violence. On the very first day of Godhra incident which became banner lead of the day, "Prajavani¿ took care even in giving headline and narrating the incident. It carried a picture of relief team members helping to remove the charred dead bodies.

For the next several days Gujarat violence reports with pictures dominated page 1. The pictures of burnt vehicles , burnt tires , charred bodies , burnt shops, victims in the relief camps, army patrolling, political leaders visits , protest and peace march were used to depict the violent happenings in the state. The pictures of women pleading for protection with folded hands, an old woman sitting before her burnt house with just a few vessels and praying for peace with such an agony on her face are heart rendering. The unforgettable picture of a Muslim youth with folded hands pleading for his life in Ahmedabad which attracted the national attention was also carried in page 1 of `Prajavani¿.

The opposition response, the local political leaders` comments were given adequate coverage. Even the concerns expressed by international community to Gujarat Carnage found space in Foreign News columns. Three Hubli lorries getting burnt in Gujarat and the drivers found missing report appeared from Hubli which gave Karnataka dimension to the Gujarat Clashes.

"Prajavani ¿ is the first Kannada Newspaper to depute a correspondent to Gujarat to do, on the spot special stories. The series of stories done by the correspondent gave vivid accounts of different dimensions of Gujarat violence. It also got the Karnataka angle in the sense that several stories depicted the pathetic conditions of the people who had migrated to Gujarat from north Karnataka districts in search of jobs, but lost their relatives and properties in the clashes. One story gave a picturesque account of a village which is known for communal harmony.