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| When the Electronic Media Surpassed the War-Hawks | | |
Arun Bothra
With the withdrawal of the proposed regulations for TV news channels, the Centre has averted a clash with the media. In an election year there was not much of a choice as such especially when the opposition parties were just waiting to grab the emotive issue. Other than the immediate conflict, these rules could have triggered protracted legal battles with the Fourth Estate.
The regulations were under consideration for quite sometime, but recent developments and trends in television news coverage actually accelerated the process. Over the past month, if India seemed closer than ever to a war with Pakistan the credit or blame goes to our electronic media. Usually it is the military and the foreign office that raises the hype over a confrontation, real or tactical. But this time, the electronic media has surpassed the traditional war-hawks. One had to hear hours of discussions and debates, generally concluding with a war cry.
Animated scenario
Far-fetched scenarios such as Pakistan planning to take over the whole of India, save the southern peninsula, have been projected in a language and tenor that even Mr Bal Thackeray would stop short of using. As the story started losing steam crudely animated scenarios of wars, even a nuclear one, were depicted in an effort to keep viewers tensed up. At another remove, the military brass was seen pleading with the electronic media not to build up a war hysteria.
Earlier, the 24x7 news coverage of the 26/11 terror strikes was generally condemned. The TV news channels not only revealed the location of hostages and commandos, but also aired the plans of the security forces. This gave undue advantage to the terrorists and their mentors in Pakistan in changing their strategy. This has now been confirmed from available excerpts of satellite communication between them.
The electronic media was carried away. It entered what was a virtual war zone, creating operational complications. Some of them even entered the besieged hotels in their quest for truth. Certain channels rather naively interviewed the terrorists who seized the opportunity to project themselves as heroes who had motivated fellow jihadis to launch similar strikes.
The manner in which civil society reacted to the Mumbai massacre raises hope for a change. Both the media and the political class were under pressure for a better and responsible response to a national crisis. Candle-lit rallies were held with the pledge to fight the terrorist menace.
There were appeals for tougher legal measures even at the cost of civil liberties. Admittedly, the electronic media also appealed for sacrifices in the war against terror. But the logic changed dramatically when it came to presenting news.
In the era of the information boom, TV has made phenomenal inroads in our daily lives. Even an Ekta Kapoor is in a position to mould our value systems. We have a whole lot of new heroes and villains to talk about at the dining table. Television has created a new breed of celebrities in the form of singers, dancers, idols, VJs and most importantly news anchors. A common viewer accepts as the final truth any information that is offered by a fairly presentable news anchor.
In the good old days, as they say, the written word was sacrosanct. People swore in the name of printed news. The electronic media, with its visual impact, has had a far greater impact on the public mind. But one doubts if all our news broadcasters realise the degree of responsibility their role entails.
There are 67 English and regional-language news channels in India. And they compete for the attention of advertisers and viewers in 90 million homes. This cut-throat competition for keeping viewers glued to channels has had its toll on the quality of news. Sensationalised stories form the essential ingredient of many news channels.
The need to regulate the conduct of these channels has generally been accepted ~ by the government, the viewers and even broadcasters themselves. The debate is only over the nature of the regulations. While the government had proposed the regulations as an amendment to the Cable Television Network Regulation Act, the news channels insisted on self-regulation. In fact, the recently formed organisation, called the News Broadcasters Association, went a step further and came out with a code of conduct. It was actually an attempt to forestall the government's move to enforce the regulations. Indeed, there isn't much of a difference between what the government had proposed and what this code of conduct prescribes.
But in spite of the occasionally reckless performance of some of the news channels, government control may not have been the best solution. In fact, there was a possibility that this remedy could have proved worse than the ailment itself. A free press, after all, has helped sustain democracy. The TV news industry is relatively new. Occasional aberrations in their behaviour can be regarded as teething problems. For all their inadequacies, they can claim greater acceptability at the popular level, compared to the state-run information network.
Positive role
There is no denying the positive role played by the same electronic media during and after the Mumbai outrage. The timely information provided by TV news channels not only saved many Mumbaikars from moving into the war zone, but also alerted the people and security agencies all over the country about the incident. Post-attack discussions and debates initiated by the TV channels kept the issue alive and created a furore in civil society. This in turn forced the establishment to take note of the anger and initiate reforms as never before.
Like many other changes in our systems and perceptions, the Mumbai attack has brought about a perceptible difference in our outlook about news broadcasting. All said and done, news channels have accepted their mistakes, and have been prompt enough to introduce remedial measures.
Given the prevailing scenario, it would only be fair to give these channels a chance rather than impose a gag order. In any case, the TV news channels were not the only entities to commit mistakes during the hour of crisis; they have shown the resolve to improve before anyone else.
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