Of newspapers and TV...

Well, this aint gonna be a scathing attack on the journalism and media sector, however, its again a question that's been pounding my head for a while now. And more often than not, when such questions pound my head, I just can't seem to put them off !! Is that good or bad, well you decide....

To come to the question under fire today, "Isn't Indian journalism perceiving negativity at its heights!!".

To point out my case, let me take the Mumbai blasts in perspective. Well, I am part of the revenue bank of one of India's most prominent national dailies, as a result of which, I have their paper thrown religiously at my balcony every morning. I probably dont literally remember the headlines, but I for sure know, the jist of them all. And here's how it went I think, If I'm not too mistaken.

July 12th - Serial blasts rock Mumbai.

July 13th - Estimated death toll touches 150 and is still rising.

July 14th (By this time, Mumbai was up and running !!!) - Death toll touches 200, police launch nationwide hunt against the suspects.

July 15th - Over 200 people interrogated at Mahim. Suspects still elusive. Mumbai slowly crawling back to its feet.

July 16th - CM announces relief to all injured. Bomb hoax at various places.

July 17th - Are Indian cities equipped to fight terror?

etc etc etc....(forgive me if this information is not absolutely correct. I am just using it as a platform to drive home my point.)

Is there an end to this mayhem? Well ok, we are living in feared times, that's well announced, but why the hell do you want to rub it in dammit !
Lets move to the TV. There isn't a lack of news channels today is there? Afterall, they have a business to run as well, and are bound by normal business policies such as market share, market potential blah blah blah. Now, to put this into perspective as well, almost 6 days after the blasts (the following sunday), a prominent news channel was holding a show, "Mumbai shows it's resilience". A week or so later maybe, the ruckus was still very evident. " SMS _ _ _ _ Y if you think the peace process with Pakistan should be cut off or _ _ _ _ N if you dont think so". Now this was to be the limit for me. I mean, isn't there a limit. For the sake of revenue, for the sake of tapping into larger audiences, you're forgetting that you're putting them(the common man) through the ordeal all over again.
I still vividly remember, on the evening of 18th July, the President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was in Mumbai and had announed a nation wide 2 min silence at 18:25 hours in memory of those who succumbed to the henious crimes of the previous week. I was with this French colleague of mine at the Delhi airport at that very moment about to go in for my security check, when I saw these images flashing on TV. I paused, dropped my luggage, placed my right hand over my heart, closed my eyes, and wished for a more peaceful world to live in. A world where journalists had better things to project that blood, a world where human beings could have the same amount of freedom as a butterfly in the sky, a world where the security guard standing right there in front of me (at the airport) would have nothing to do, as a result of which he could look out for a more enhanced employment. Those were 120 seconds where India came to a standstill, 120 powerful seconds where Indians vowed not to bow down to such acts, 120 electric seconds where Indians showed their solidarity with victims of this disaster, 120 seconds, where maybe, every man and woman told him/herself at the back of his/her mind,"Every moment on this planet could be my last!!!"
Well, the expression of solidarity over, I felt this innate feeling of warmth go through me, a feeling of having connected to millions of Indians across the country, only to see them vanquished as I opened my eyes to reality yet again, and this time, I squarely blame journalism for it. As I opened my eyes, the TV screen was poised right there in front of me, as if India's TV journalists were telling me, "You gotta see buddy, you just can't ignore it". On screen, was this woman journalist, asking a man at Churchgate station in Mumbai,"Ek hafte ke baad, aapko kya mahsuus ho raha hai? (What are you feelings like, a week into the incident?)". Thats when I told myself, damn, to hell with you man. Here is a country trying hard to put the past behind herself, and move ahead, a country and a city determined to truly 'move on', then why are you holding us back???? Aren't there some things you really want to forget quickly in life? Well, these may also be the same things you just can't seem to forget either. But when, there's somebody behind your back trying to drive it into you each and every time, I'd surely not forget it as much as I'd want too. And maybe, I'd let my inability to forget vent itself out on the cause, in this case, journalism.
For starters, aren't there good things happening in this world today. How often have you opened the newspaper, to see a truly inspirational headline hit your eye? How often have you switched on the TV not to see stories of blasts, deaths, rapes, murders etc.? Well, these are important in their own rights too, and it's the duty of the media to highlight these to keep the common man informed. But, but, but...there is a but to it......afterall.

When will I wake up to see the picture of a blind boy or girl trying to study and enhance his/her knowledge? When will I wake up to see a 15 year old kid, doing his/her best to support his/her ailing parents? When will I wake up to see an inspirational act, be it in politics, sport, academics etc truly grab the headlines? When will I wake up to see the underlying words, love, compassion, human spirit strewn all over the headlines?

I've started longing for this day now. And it's also important, that amidst all the noise, journalists do realize that life goes on afterall, and it's not necessary to sit back and harp on the past, rather, it's about aiding the common man in his journey ahead. Whether that be to instill faith and inspiration in him, whether that be to throw light in his path, or whether that be to just help him forget the past, I don't know! It's something you guys (the journalists) need to analyse for yourself.
As for me, that's probably why I've started reading the newspaper only at night. Cuz afterall, sleep beckons soon after, and I wake up the next morning with filtered and clean thoughts. Most of the headlines would've seeped through my memory during the night ofcourse, cuz if I were to avoid heading the paranoic way, It's time I learnt to forget !