PRITAM SENGUPTA writes from New Delhi: The coverage in the Indian media of conditions along the India-China border from where reports of “military incursions, shooting incidents and even imminent conflict along the Line of Actual Control” are being reported on an almost-daily basis has invoked a strange reaction from the government.
On the one hand, there has been a denial from the very top of the government and armed forces, with the national security advisor even uttering the words “media hype”, even as the two heads of the external affairs ministry (S.M. Krishna and Shashi Tharoor) are battling the after-effects of five-star comfort and Twittermania.
And, on the other hand, the Union home ministry has reportedly decided to file a First Iinformation Report against two reporters of The Times of India. The reporters, Nirmalya Banerjee in Calcutta and Prabin Kalita in Guwahati, filed a front-page story last Tuesday, September 15, of two soldiers of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) being injured in firing by the Chinese in northern Sikkim.
The reported quoted “a highly placed intelligence source, who is not authorized to give information to the media” and also mentioned that ITBP officials in New Delhi “declined to confirm the incident”.
The disclaimer notwithstanding, ToI carried this clarification on the following day on its inside pages:
“Responding to a ToI report, ‘2 ITBP jawans injured in China border firing’, the ITBP had clarified that no such incident of firing has taken place on the India-China border and no member of the ITBP had been injured.”
Clearly, the clarification failed to cool the embers in the corridors of power.
On Sunday, September 20, The Hindu carried a news story, bylined “New Delhi Bureau”.
“We have taken this story very seriously. We are going ahead with our decision to take criminal action against the two reporters and we will soon file an FIR. They have quoted some highly placed intelligence source in their story. Let them appear before the court and tell who is this source who gave them information,” unnamed “top home ministry sources” were quoted as saying in The Hindu.
The reporters’ crime according to the unnamed top home ministry sources?
“Indian law proscribed promotion of enmity with other countries.”
The rest of the Indian media has ignored the travails of the The Times of India‘s reporters, and as has become the norm these days, the Indian Express, which reports the story on its front page today, doesn’t even bother to name the paper.
The attempt to tone down the war mongering in the media is understandable. After all, the sight of two gigantic countries , both nuclear powers, staring eyeball to eyeball in a confrontation is not a very pretty one.
Still, some questions need to be asked:
1) Is the government over-reacting to one story in one newspaper? Have other newspapers and other TV channels been calmness personified?
2) By targetting ToI, is the government trying to send signals to other bellicose media which have been itching for action? Is this pre-war media management?
3) Is this story on injured Indian jawans the only “wrong” story on this issue, or any other issue, that merits government reaction? If so, why?
4) Is the government implicitly accusing the media of making up stories? Or is it trying to find out the media’s sources? If it is the latter, isn’t the government chasing the wrong end of the animal?
5) Is The Times of India‘s responsibility to the reader or to the home and defence ministries?
6) Is The Times of India‘s reporters within their rights to not reveal their intelligence source/s, if any, even in a court of law?
7) Does threat of an FIR and criminal action amount to censorship in the name of “national interest”?
8) Who in the government decides whether a story is acceptable or not to the “national interest”, and on what basis, and how often?
Newspaper facsimile: courtesy The Indian Express
Also read: Because your TV cannot devote 23 minutes
Interesting questions. I am afraid that I have to side with kavitha when she says— “This one is worth watching from the ring side with popcorn and soda ;)”
Here are my two cents –
1> There is no accountability for the media and they regularly get away with murder. Immediate examples that come to mind coverage of 26/11 and the war-mongering that followed, Arushi Talwar case where they were throwing around allegations and selling editorial space to India’s oligarchs.
2> This lack of accountability raises questions on the integrity of the fourth estate.
Although it is unfair to go after TOI alone, I think an example needs to be set. The Indian Broadcasters association is more like a soggy papad and is incapable of any self-regulation. If the media cannot self regulate it is time for the media to face the consequences for publishing half truths.
Therefore? Is it fair to go after only TOI? Answer NO!
Should the government be going after the media for dangerous and insensitive reporting? Yes!
It would be nice to see some of the journalists who are pimping fear bite their nails in fear over the consequences of what they say.
I like it… Finally, the journos are being reminded of the very basic elements of journalism – ACCOUNTABILITY.
Which is clearly missing in Indian Journalists.
It is the responsibility of the media to report the truth and only the truth. However, Indian media routinely cooks up stories. There is absolutely no panalty for “irresponsible reporting” (a politically way of saying, “deliberately spreading lies”).
Whether this particular case deserves filing FIR or not is a moot point. We need touch measures that will put some integrity back into the flesh of the fourth estate.
Thank God it is not Modi who has imposed this restriction asked for prosecution. NDTV is sleeping on this. Wake up Bharkaji!
Indian media is more interested in sensationalizing the news instead of reporting the facts. Especially TOI. The other day they were reporting a news under the title “Dalit girl killed”. If you just read the title, you would assume a person belonging to the upper caste killed her. Right? Wrong. The news was about a girl killed in an accident.
In-your-face journalism, carrying over-the-top narration of a story. Hype seems to be the new code. A while ago, a friend – to boot a politician! – had suggested to me that it would be best if TV is forced to a twice-a-day newscast to end all this kind of stories because the maws of the 24×7 tv have to be fed. It is good that people are getting fed up!
Imagine a breaking news! strip on TV yesterday. Rakhi Sawant was breaking her weeks’ old engagement to a Canadian she had picked on a reality show. Who ever thought that all that muck weeks on end was ‘real’? Now that Rahul Mahana would go through a swayamwar to pick a bride must have been why the news channels succumbed to this teaser.
Oh heck – when am I going to get BBC to set up an Indian news channel for Indians in India? For that calm, cool, collected news presentation, verified before filed, de-hyped before telecast?
I hope Government takes action against visual media also for their “lies”
The ignoranti in the Indian media are unaware of the basic principle of democracy that freedom comes at the price of responsibility. Over the years, in an effort to grab the eye balls, the Indian media, particularly the visual media have been complete asses, laughable if they are not so dangerous. The case of Arushi in which they trampled upon the character of a 14-year old girl (and continue to even in her death!) is but one in which they have got away with murder. Their compulsive obsession with themselves, their disregard for facts and investigation or even basic journalistic ethics such as checking on a story or even giving the other side of the story a fair chance is on show in full glory 24/7 on all channels. Their idea of discussion is to start a pig fest – to offer an opinion as fact and let the same set of five prostitutes and pimps fight it out.
Ruckus addicts that they are, TV and print media pounce snout and all four trotters onto any issue that promises violence and sensationalism. Lacking training and unschooled in basic journalistic rules and ethics, they have of late discovered jingoism as a ratings booster and begun beating the war drums. One thought that in the light of their fiasco of 26/11 they would have learnt to be more restrained. But they as the Latin saying goes: Dulce bellum inexpertis (War is sweet to only those who have no experience of it).
The media’s shrill bleating about its freedom being curtailed is akin to a six-year old demanding access to porn sites. After being bosom buddies of bureaucrats, embedded with politicians and owned by the corporates, the media wants to be taken seriously. Given the low IQ of 90% of the media persons, they should be allowed to play in their sandbox but under adult supervision. Like firearms, serious issues should be kept out their reach, lest they harm themselves and others.
Truth Matters,
Not just Indian media – same applies to the US media too esp. the commercial TV and radio ‘news’ and talk shows. And probably anywhere where the media is run as a pure profit seeking business which demands increased viewership quarter after quarter.
Notwithstanding the fact the ToI is more of a porn rag than a news mag, it is probably the only newspaper which doesn’t toe the line of the present central establishment because, most of its readers are youngsters and professionals(read mostly of the majority religion, who hate the dynastic politics because it is illogical).
This is just an excuse for the Central government to silence it.
I hope the centre doesn’t take action against me for posting this comment
I think there was a statement issued by the government about there being an established procedure and sources to report news related to defence related matters. This process should be fine tuned and both newspersons as well as govenment officials must be made aware of this and told to strictly observe this or face the consequences. Currently both media persons hungry for the next breaking item and officials eager to be featured tend to bypass established channels and feed half truths to the public. Defence related news certainly does not need to be sensationalized.
There indeed is an established procedure and a stupid one about that, which requires a reporter to show her/his copy or tape to the PRO of the Ministry of Defence. Long ago, some of us broke the rule, because in your copy you could not even mention the airbase that you visited at the invitation of the MoD, but had to just say “Somewhere on the Western Front” although Pakistanis and Chinese know where the airbases are, how many fighters are stationed, how many hangars, the exact length of the runway and even probably the latest flight manifests. That is how ridiculous it was. Some of us said, oh no, no effing bureaucrat is going to touch my copy. The MoD was unhappy, but got adjusted to the new reality. Some other reporters continue/d to show their copy, but only to ensure that they are made welcome again by the MoD.
But having said that, I am not against rules. I only want that the journalists do some homework and consult real defence experts, not fake ones, and certainly not retired service officers, who are agents for some arms company or the other.
But we are talking about serious stuff here. This is about two countries, India and China that can nuke each other like two millennia backwards. Both the countries realise the implications. That is why China is sitting with INdia to work out a solution to the border dispute. Thirteen meetings of the JWG have taken place and the finally, after painstaking discussions over two decades, maps of each other’s claims have been exchanged, and the next step is to exchange territory in order to work out a mutually acceptable border so there is no more claims on each other and hence no reason to bomb each other into a holocaust.
But the high school dropouts who populate the TV channels cannot dig peace. They want conflict, fighting and have kinky visions of a nuclear gotterdammerung! Look at the way they handle India’s relations with Pakistan and China! In the U.S. they would have been six pack swilling lumberjack Joes and poledancing tarts, but in India, they can find employment in TV channels. On every discussion, they have self-styled academics, former foreign service officers many of whom know neither Urdu, Pushto or Mandarin, but come up scary threat perceptions fed to them by think tanks in U.S. of A!
The simple truth is that the ordinary woman or man in India wants three square meals, a roof that does not leak, a good school for their children! But these well-paid hacks and hags want war because they are cowards.
Remember, during the 26/11 festival of the cowards, the media hacks beamed Mukesh Ambani’s uberpatriot rant about wanting his son to join the army. Where is that son now? In the army? And there was another yellow belly a$$hole who wanted the states to be handed over to corporates because they can guarantee good governance. Thank God, Karnataka was not handed over to Satyam, because BSY is doing an even better job of bankrupting our State than the Rajus could have done.
And I am not even talking about the incestuous relationship between the Indian TV anchors and the politicians and tycoons as evidenced by their first name dropping references. Never happens in the European media.
That is media responsibility for you! Sorry for the rant. But when I see the responsible, mature way in which somebody like Nick Gowing or his colleagues in BBC conduct themselves, I ask myself, “What did we do todeserve our media?”
BTW
Permission to digress? On another thread or two, when I posted, there were ad hominem attacks on me by some idiots who appear to have been deeply upset by my postings on their icons such as Arun Shourie and Abdul Kalam, two men who deserve as much admiration as Charles Sobhraj, the Parikhs on Dalal Street and Vinivinc Shastri. One poster, or impostor interpreted my failure to respond to his graffiti style rant that described me as an opportunist!
I had a cartilage tear, had my hand in cast and could not write. I wondered whether I should reply to these low lifes. I decided I should, since these trolls seem to populate Churumuri like bacteria in a gutter and should not be allowed to get away with their cowardly babble on the first Kannadiga site.
To the neanderthals:
Hey pinheads, I plead guilty.
If living in a rented house after three and half decades of journalism, then I plead guilty to charges of opportunism.
If as a journalist, I have not lobbied to receive a single award such as the Rajyotsava award, after three and half decades of journalism, then I plead guilty to opportunism.
If I am wondering how to pay my bills after three and half decades of journalism, then I plead guilty to charges of opportunism.
For not having licked the private orifices of politicians, bureaucrats and captains or industry, I plead guilty to charges of opportunism.
I visit Churumuri often, and I enjoyed some of the blogs, but the worst of the Kannadigas, the most illiterate, ill-informed, intellectually-challenged mongoloid idiots seem to post here. Most of them appear to be IT coolies having a bad time in the U.S. but blaming the Muslims for it, since they cannot blame the white man who will kick them out to the boondocks where they came from.
The discussions are hate fests. If it is the Churumuri policy not to filter the haters so that the site can appear to have more hits, God help them. Because, the intellectual level of the discussion is down to that among hamals in Kalasipalyam.
To the gatekeepers at Churumuri:
If you want to be a dhamaal blog, keep the hamals out. Do some due diligence. Less hate and more light will help you and us. A website like this can be an excellent forum for exchange of information and discussion. There are millions of thinking people in Karnataka and you are not going to get them to post here if you have these cringe-inducing, hate-filled bubbas vomiting and masturbating all over your blog.
Talking of the thrashy broadcast channels, I could never understand the need for background music during the news. Its as if they are presenting a Whodunnit..
Dear Truth matters,
“some where in the western front”. i realy LOL. “between two communities” in Hyderabad or between two communities in Amritsar.Our way of government censor is ludicurous.
Maximum killing happenned in CST terminal in Mumbai but the media covered only Taj. They didnot even ask worthwhile questions to the MARCOS navy team who could not flush out 4 terrorists inside and how they delayed attack by asking for IAS signature insead of IPS signature.
Media has become a joke!!! we have seen the election coverage how Rajdeep and folks were shouting on top of their voice… its really shameful..