I guess by now most of you have seen the footage of Prashant Bhushan being beaten up in front of Times Now's proud TV cameras. I, however don't have a television (I am more and more convinced of our decision) so I had to wait for Times NOW's print sibling Times of India to see the photo series of the aggression.
For those who have not seen the video HERE it is on IBN and HERE on TOI
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| Here is a scan of the print version I first saw - TOI |
When I watched the video I was very disturbed. My mind was filled with questions, concerns and an uneasiness that has not left me yet.
I wanted to raise some of my questions here:
1. On Media Ethics and the role of Media in a society
Times NOW is supposed to have been doing an interview of Prashant Bhushan when the attack happened. So there was at least one videographer and one journalist on the scene - a man is getting beaten up and nobody stops the aggressors.
Are Television Rating Points (TRP) = MONEY the only thing that drives our Media today? What is their role in society? Should they not have done something to protect a man who is being assaulted?
FYI - The HOOT is in their own words
The subcontinent has plenty of
media, it does not have enough scrutiny of the media. This portal is the
outcome of the concern felt by a group of practicing journalists at some recent
trends in journalism in this part of the world. It is an attempt to revive a
concern for media ethics, restore focus on development in the subcontinent, and preserve press freedom.
2. From a more Existential - Humanitarian angle
How were the videographer and the journalist able to stand there and film/watch this without intervening? I could barely watch the video.
Are we as a society becoming more and more tolerant of aggression, violence and injustice, so much so that we can stand and watch a man/woman being beaten up. Do we care more about our job responsibilities than our moral responsibilities? (i.e assuming that their job as journalists required them not to intervene - some journalist is going to have to clarify that point for me) Obviously this generalizes to other social issues too.
What do you think?
11 comments:
this is disgusting publishing all this.
What bothers me most about (more and more) such situations is, nobody questions what the journalists were doing there.
Personally, I believe Media has missed the point on many issues. I would have wished and hoped that the anchor airing the assault (in this case obviously arnab) would have been asked why the journalists didn't intervene. But he wasn't.
I remember vaguely reading a research somewhere about how more violence makes viewers immune. So if that is true, the amount of articles we read each other must eventually make us numb or detached. NOW that scares me too.
I love the questions you raise. And I hope at some point they are answered. Instead of dilly dallying. :)
(Sorry about the long comment :p)
I wonder if these men were actually invited by the media themselves. How otherwise both the things were so well timed?
That too done to a man who supposedly belong to everyone's fave The Anna Team and now they too have washed their hands of the incident. In India, that is what we do to someone who speaks his mind!
Democracy, what is that?
#_#
The Blunt Blog
It's pathetic! Infuriated me when I read it. The media person shamelessly shooting it all on camera instead of helping Mr. Bhushan out. And gleefully rubbing his hands thinking about how happy his boss would be to see this. And the article DNA published literally made a hero out of the jackass who barged into the office. No wonder the media people get what they deserve when they're hounded by miscreants also...
But I also have been wondering on the lines of Chintan's thoughts since morning. Was it orchestrated for PR? Damn, humanity has really stooped to a new low.
Point well-taken.
But on a different note you may read->http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/comment_sunetra-choudhury-in-defence-of-the-subaltern-tv-reporter_1577677
I was thinking the exact same thing. How could anyone just stand back and film something like this. arrgh!
The complete apathy of the media is very very disturbing, to say the least.
@Srinidhi
First - Don't apologise for long comments. When I ask a question, I am glad for answers :-)
Another question in my mind now- these goons fear nothing if they are ready to go about their business in front of TV cameras.
@TheBluntBlogger and Vishal Kataria
Democracy, freedom of expression - these are words to decorate a constitution.
I was infuriated but more disturbed.
The HOOT article is questioning if the goons didn't call the media. Apparently RSS is known to have done that in the past.
@Rohan
I read the article you linked. Interesting for sure. Thanks. I could not tolerate 24hr News Channel. I did what she said, I switched my TV off, once and for all. I don't have one. But all their hardships still do not justify standing and watching a man getting beaten.
P.S You don't have to be a TV reporter to be groped by the junta, you just have to be a woman in India taking a bus or walking on a street. And don't get me wrong I love journalists - I think they have a lot of courage, just not all of them.
@A and Yuvika
Yes it is the apathy that bothers me. Journalist or not it just is not healthy. And it is not as if it was war, where the deal is that they are just supposed to document.
I thank my stars everyday for not getting into journalism as I originally wanted to. I do think the media have no ethics or morals whatsoever across the world. These days it is all about the ratings and anything that is sensational will be a big thing and mean more ratings. And I think somewhere along the line, individual have lost their morality too.
Indian journalism by its nature precludes ethics and morality. However, I would undermine the Prashant Bhushan case, because I guess the media, esecially the phorographer/interviewer of Times Now would have been happy even Mr Bhushan was raped/ripped. This bargains them more TRPs. Who knows the person who beated Mr. Bhushan was facilitated for entry (or in other ways?) by Times?
@ Psychbabbler
It would be frustrating to be in journalism and not be able to live/work by our ethics. This is the reason why I have so much respect for the handful of journalists who are true to their ethics and for new media sites like Kafila and Helter Skelter.
@Kunjmann
If what you are saying is true then Media has stooped to the poorest level - where will they go now?
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