Tag: media

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Musings

Aarushi & The Siege

Have you noticed what is common between the 2? The victims were people whom we could relate to.
The mumbai attack was targeted to the rich (upper middle class as most people will like to project) at some of the most expensive restaurants in South Mumbai. Aarushi was a daughter of 2 influential dentist from Noida, Delhi.
Net result is that even through they were not be after several years, these incidents continue to crowd the headlines.
Filicide and honor killing of girls is quite common in India. Yet the urban educated Indian (to which the media caters to) always believe that “voh sab to gao meigh hota hai.. hamare yaha par nahi” (it happens in the villages no in the cities) People are shocked to even believe that well educated professionals could also practice in India.
After an extended trial that lasted for more than half a decade, the court finally sentenced the parents Rajesh and Nupur Talwar guilty of murdering their child and the domestic help. However the media seems to have difficulty in accepting this verdict and is flooding the media with sympathy towards accepting the fact that “Educated parents could kill their own children.”
Firstly, Indian justice system might be accused of slow and lenient, but this is probably one of the rare example where it is being accused of punishing the innocent. Esp. when the accused had all the financial and political muscle to hire the best lawyers, and sway the media/public opinion. (innocent poor do get locked away for years without a trial…. but rich influential… never)
Secondly, why would I care if the convicted (not accused) does not admit their guilt, or blame that they are victims of the system or they are not eating their food. Criminals are send behind bars so that they can spend time to repent and understand the repercussions of their actions.  I cannot understand why the media always sympathizes with the rich when they are put behind bars esp. for violent crimes.
Recently an political family tortured their maid to death, but she was a 7 day wonder. the media was hot for a couple of days and now they are completely mum.
 

Categories
Miscellaneous

WHERE WERE THEY WHEN THE SHOTS RANG OUT?

Guest post from T.R.Ramaswami
I write with reference to media reports that the High-level probe team into 26/11 events have asked the various senior oficers to explain where they were during the shootout. In this regard I had already sent you a letter a month ago which is below. It is also stated that the bureaucrats are hatching a conspiracy to fudge their whereabouts by supporting each other. I would reqeust the probe-team to also get transcripts of their residential, office and mobile phones for those 60 hours and the location of the mobiles to get to the truth.
I write with reference to the article “Wanted: A minute by minute account” by Govindraj Ethiraj (BS 23rd. December 2008). He has raised very interesting points – could the media tell us in a tabular format, say on a 3-hour basis as to where the top functionaries (?) of the state and the city were during the crucial 60 hours? I recall from media photographs, that one senior lady bureaucrat in a blue sari, was in fact rescued from the Taj. Where did she go thereafter and what role did she play?
Mr. Ethiraj states that news television pressed all resources immediately and stayed there. Would they have stayed if even one stray bullet had hit anyone? Who would have been responsible for such an accident? In fact nowhere in the world would the security forces responsible for the outer perimeter – in this case the Mumbai Police – would have allowed the media so close to the scene of action and broadcast on a real time basis with a shot-by-shot commentary.
– T.R.Ramaswami
 

Categories
Miscellaneous

TERRORISM AND MEDIA

Guest post from T.R.Ramaswami
Who has behaved most irresponsibly during the recent Mumbai carnage? Apart from the netas it is the media, particularly the visual media. In fact it is they who appear to be on the side of the terrorists by downplaying our anger and not airing the real views. Only those who say things in a sugary way are aired. What’s the use of lighting candles. Let the media, particularly one puny TV anchor, shove these candles up their rear and that of the netas hiding behind walls and Z-security and they will know how it hurts.
The media is so insensitive. First many foreign journalists are shocked that the media is able to show live everything that is happening on the scene of battle with all point of ingress and egress fully visible. I am sure that the terrorists had an accomplice watching the TV or even next to the cameras conveying what is happening outside. That’s why when a fire engine moved in, they threw a grenade. Next watch how they harass the people who come out after undergoing hours of harrowing terror just to get their sound bytes. I would like to place a bomb between their legs, again particularly under the same puny anchor, and then shove a camera in her face and ask – Aap ko kya mehsoos ho rahai? Kitne aadmi the!!???
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My comments on yesterday’s post did support free media, but I would agree with your frustration on this one. The quality of Media is really poor and with coverage like this they are indeed compromising the law enforcement activities.