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A Complaint against TV & Radio Media

Dear Madam,

We are some citizens of India and the following is our opinion. All of us were disappointed with the attitude of the Indian media in handling the terrorist attacks in Mumbai that started on the 26th of November 2008. The TV channels appeared as selfish, reckless, insensitive profit makers who did not lose any opportunity to make their TRPs soar. We also believe that they put at risk the secrecy of the offensive by the security forces. This was in particular, done by both TV news and Radio channels in the case of the Police and ATS Operation at the CST Railway Station of Bombay and by the TV news channels (specifically reporter Srinivasan Jain from NDTV) in the case of the Operation at Nariman House by the National Security Guards.

Another major issue we have against the media in how they handled this situation, was the way in which most TV channels spread speculations and rumors, without caring for the vulnerability of the viewership at a time of such crisis. Various channels have gone around making claims about the identity of the assailants, about the reasons why our security officials got killed and about the motives behind these attacks without quoting any authority on these issues.

Also the TV news channels did not lose any opportunity at sensationalizing live tragedy. Moreover they competed with each other in the drama that they could attach to the news reporting. Barkha Dutt from NDTV was unbeatable in this regard. Most media reporters were also uneven in their coverage of the attacks. The low profile areas like the CST Railway Station and Cama Hospital were overshadowed by the Taj and Oberoi Hotels though people were getting killed even there.

And we do not see any sense in inviting politicians on TV even while poeple are being killed and to allow them to fight each other in their calculated forecast of what should be said to malign the other and win votebank. In fact also the interviews with Bollywood Celebrities and other Socialites totally unaffected in these attacks were pointless and criminally money minded.

We do in a way hold the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting responsible for such reckless abandon.

In times of such national crisis, we think the Ministry should revoke some of the freedom allowed to the Media at least till the situation or the attack has been brought under control.

Specifically,

1. Cameras and Media reporters should not be allowed near the location of the Offensive because as we all know Terrorists these days carry technologically advanced communication devices and any information leaked out about where and how our Forces are hitting back could be dangerous and fatal.

2. The media should not make statements like "Someone said ......". If the media is reporting a comment made by someone, it should categorically state the name and Organisation of the person who has actually made the comment, probably even play a video of the person saying the exact words. In case the comment/opinion is purely of the employees and reporters of the media channel itself, it should be clearly stated as being so. In this case a disclaimer of the sort : “The findings are based on the media channel's preliminary investigations and are purely speculative in nature. These need not necessarily be true”, must be made.

3. The Ministry should draft out some codes of ethics for the media in cases of such crisis and sensationalism should be strictly discouraged. Politicians/Celebrities should be discouraged from being invited on media at least till the situation is brought under the control of the Security Forces.

We do understand that free media in a democracy is very important, but at the same time we cannot ignore the facts and experiences from past that these media houses sometimes do misuse that freedom for purely business motives and that in cases of crisis this could cost our country, our Security Forces and our people dearly. Our demands for regulation of the media, therefore apply in times of crisis alone.



Thank you,