Caught up in instant news?

It was ‘Vandana’ after ‘Prince’ two years ago, that occupied the better part of all TV channels on 26th March, 2008. The 24x7 coverage seemed almost like a repeat telecast of the now-famous Prince rescue. In all this drama, the one thing that came out prominently was the blow by blow account of the brave fight of the army personnel who battled their way across to the borewell shaft, to come up trumps in getting the two-year-old out. The planning, the maps and the strategies used to reach out to the girl showed the exemplary organizational skills of our army personnel. The scene was familiar, the sound bytes as expected, and the entire operation showed the same anxiety, the same smses praying for her life and the same anxious queries, will she? won’t she? Did the TRP ratings increase? I am sure they did and that is what matters ultimately to the telecasters.

 

Although none can deny the importance of the life of a little girl caught in a tragedy not of her doing, what was the media’s role in all this? Getting their regular insulin shot through the human interest story? Most television channels and newspapers the next day got news other than the one that was most obvious. The focus was only on the daring act of the army personnel and the trauma of the child caught inside, but no serious follow up was done by any of the major channels to find out information that led to the situation in the first place. Except one of two channels which got the DM of Agra to talk about compensation to Vandana, most media did not go beyond the rescue act. In fact, the media was so reluctant to let go of such instant news that attract high TRP ratings that they seemed to hammer out the same footage of the kid getting rescued long after the kid was safe and sound.

 

In fact, the media frenzy was so great, that they were swarming round the ambulance, even after the doors were shut with the patient inside, trying to call and get the sound bytes of the doctor, and the MLA who was in the ambulance. Finally the doctor in exasperation asked the reporter to allow him to attend the patient. The media caught up in getting ‘Flash news’ has lost all sense of proportion and the sensitivity required in handling such news. Is this all they are interested in following up? Why doesn’t it raise the larger question of borewells being dug indiscriminately or the companies that leave them open which are often becoming unsuspecting graves for the innocent?

 

In this case it was the father of the child who got the borewell dug but is it not the duty of the company authorized to dig it, to leave it safe? Who will compensate for the time spent by the army personnel who could have used it gainfully in operations they are trained to do? Who is responsible for the cost of handling such operations? And if the army is willing to take care of the costs, who is responsible for the loss to the exchequer?  Such questions are more important in the larger interests of the society. How is it that no media telecast/published such follow up stories that make more meaning? Is everything sacrificed in the name of TRPs?

 

 The media is so caught up in such instantaneous news that the larger issues like the ones mentioned above get lost.  When they could get hold of the over-two-year old footage of the Prince Rescue act, comparing and contrasting the pros and cons, what stops them from going a step ahead and talking to the authorities concerned and questioning them on administrative/policy matters that concern the population at large?

 

Why is it that TV is averse to such follow ups that really matter rather than focusing on sensationalism to make their news? What is their role in such matters? Isn’t it the duty of the media to be the voice of the society? Is it only pure economics and TRP ratings which drive them? Although none can question the commercial interests of any media business, if all that matters is the amount of commercial space that could be sold at that particular point in time or the number of sound bytes that is needed at all costs, I think the media is definitely going over board. Is it rupees all the way, or worse still, is it waiting for more accidents to happen to more ‘Vandanas’ and ‘Princes’ to rake in their profits?