Author: Narad
Publication: Organiser
Date: January 26, 2003
Introduction: The English media
is accountable to nobody. It can raise a citizen to the skies one day and
bring him down with a bang the next day - and vice versa.
Early in January a very senior member
of the US administration, addressing the CII Partnership Summit in Hyderabad
made some stunning statements on Indo-American relationship that were largely
ignored by the English media. Speaking at the Summit on January 7, Richard
N. Haass, Director, Policy Planning Staff, US Department of State pointedly
said that the LoC's status in Jammu and Kashmir won't be changed unilaterally
or by violence and, in the absence of a jointly agreed alternative, its
sanctity should be ensured. Among other things he also said that Pakistanis
must realise that infiltration was killing their hopes for a settlement
to Kashmir. By any measure it is an important speech and deserved to be
published in full. Most papers gave it cursory treatment. Only one paper,
The Indian Express published the full text of the speech in two parts on
two consecutive days. Shri Haass made the point that Indo-US ties are all
about cooperation and not carping. He paid full some praise to India, but
where our sex-crazy English media is concerned all that was so much water
under the bridge. It is a shocking example of poor understanding of what
constitutes news. One presumes this indifference is because the media is
not willing to give the NDA Government any credit for handling foreign
affairs. Even routine reporting gets tinted with bias that recently led
one reader to complain to The Times of India (January 2) that "man of our
present-day reporters routinely go beyond their brief when they 'report'
events by slanting them subtly or otherwise with their personal bias".
Examples of such biased reporting can be quoted endlessly. A good example
is a report in Deccan Herald (January 6) on the manner in which the 70th
birthday of Dr Murli Manohar Joshi was celebrated in Delhi. The celebrations
were organised by Dr Murli Manohar Joshi Felicitation Committee, a private
body. But, reported the Deccan Herald: "Initiating a new trend of wasteful
expenditure, a financially hardpressed Government publicly celebrated the
70th birthday of Union Science and HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi in
a grandiose fashion in the presence of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
However, neither Mr Vajpayee nor Mr Joshi cared to explain the need for
such a birthday bash at a time when the nation is trying to cope with severe
drought and communal violence.... The evening celebration was a show to
eulogise Mr Joshi and nothing else. Everybody put Mr Joshi on a high pedestal
for his 'accomplishments' such as education reforms... quite obviously,
nothing was uttered about the glaring mistakes in school text books...
a seminar provided the Minister, who always prefers to be projected as
an eminent thinker, an opportunity to air his views..." How any newspaper
can publish such obvious trash is hard to believe. Where does reporting
facts begin and where does editorialising end? Do editors ever read the
copy that their reporters file? To what extent is it permissible for reporters
to vent their personal bile against public citizens? Or can it also be
that the reporter in this instance was specifically asked by his editor
to file this shocking copy that breaks all rules of decent reporting? The
amount of hatepeddling in our English media against the BJP and individual
BJP leaders reflects poorly on its sense of responsibility. When the media
decides to run down a public citizen it does so with no-holds-barred. Time
and again the media has exhibited a shocking sense of irresponsibility.
For years, it may be remembered, Amitabh Bachchan was the butt of attack
in the media until the popular film actor decided to boycott it. Then the
tide turned and now not a day passes without Bachchan being featured in
the press ad nauseum as if to make amends for past malfeasance. Or take
the case of Kapil Dev. For a time all manner of charges were levied against
him for accepting alleged bribes until the poor man was reduced to shed
tears in the course of a talk show over TV. The charges cleared, there
is not a day, again, that is lost without the ageing cricketer being lionised
in the print and television media. Or yet again take another example of
media over-reaction. Sunita Rani who won the 1,500 metre race at Busan
Asian Games was charged with taking drugs. The Indian media was immediately
up in arms. Writes Rani, in The Hindustan Times (January 4): "My coach
and I were kept in a small room for three days. We could not leave and
no one could enter. Those were three indescribably days with no food, no
information and only silence and tears for company... the Government abandoned
me. I even wrote four or five times to the President of India, asking for
an audience and justice. I never got a reply... I'm still trying to take
in the fact that my nightmare is over... but who will give me back my pride
and make up for all the humiliation I have had to go through? It's been
three months of horror..." The English media is accountable to nobody.
It can raise a citizen to the skies one day and bring him down with a bang
the next day and vice versa. The Bachchans, the Kapil Devs and the Sunita
Ranis have a point. But tell that to our editors who are a law unto themselves.
The unanimity of the media over
the matter of a nuclear threat issued by General Musharraf is most touching.
"Nuclear blackmail to pressurise India" said Deccan Chronicle (January
4). The same Musharraf had once said that the use of nuclear arms is not
a viable option and only 'mad people' would want a nuclear confrontation.
"It is Musharrafs penchant for doublespeak that raises suspicion about
his bona fades" said the Chronicle. The Asian Age (January 2) said Musharraf
is "indulging in nuclear blackmail" and sounded a note of warning saying:
"His irresponsibility cannot be dismissed as mere rhetoric alone." The
Chandigarh based The Tribune, reflecting public opinion said that it is
"high time the sharp contrast between Pakistan's reckless flaunting of
its nuclear might and India's unilateral 'no-first-use' commitment was
appreciated" by the US and others. It added: "Looking the other way while
General Musharraf preens himself with his nukes will be tantamount to ignoring
a similar threat from men like bin Laden." The Hindu dismissed Musharraf's
threat as "Dangerous talk". The Free Press Journal (January 1) described
Musharraf as "dangerous" and his threat underlining "the danger that the
entire world faces from the lunatic fringe that has come to control nuclear
Pakistan". A well-argued article by M. B. Naqvi in Deccan Herald (January
3) noted that the US sun is & waning over Pak Horizon" with Pakistan's
nuclear weaponing becoming an increasing vulnerability in Pakistan-American
relations". The Statesman (January 3) quoted the Pakistani paper Dawn as
saying that the US has donated almost 400 vehicles and 750 telescopes to
Pakistani troops to hunt al Qaida fugitives. Very thoughtful of it.
