Sunday, October 31, 2010

Indian Media: an accessory for Crime?

Something for the media to think about
Arundhati Roy on The Hindu


What is the nature of the agreement between these sections of the media and mobs and criminals in search of spectacle? Does the media which positions itself at the ‘scene' in advance have a guarantee that the attacks and demonstrations will be non-violent? What happens if there is criminal trespass (as there was today) or even something worse? Does the media then become accessory to the crime? This question is important, given that some TV channels and newspapers are in the process of brazenly inciting mob anger against me. In the race for sensationalism the line between reporting news and manufacturing news is becoming blurred. So what if a few people have to be sacrificed at the altar of TRP ratings? So, while the Government is showing a degree of maturity, are sections of the media and the infrastructure of democracy being rented out to those who believe in mob justice?  But why are sections of the mainstream media doing the same? Is a writer with unpopular views more dangerous than a suspect in a bomb blast? Or is it a question of ideological alignment?


Flashback: Mangalore Amnesia Pub attack by the media & Moral Police


When a similar event happens in Mangalore, likes of Arundhati Roy cried hoarse on Women`s rights, Talibalization etc., 


None of the intellectuals protested against the  media - an associate in the crime! 
(instead of informing police and avoiding a "spectacle" local media chose to "encash" on "pub attack" by selling the "precious footage" and photos to national/international media houses)




Crime in Mangalore: Media is doing its job as per "freedom of the press"
Crime in New Delhi: Media acting as an accessory for Crime!!!


I have been advocating all the while on privacy and individual rights. Intellectuals like Arundhati Roy wake up, only when they become targets!