Oh Yes !,Thanks to the 24/7 Live and Deferred and Repeated Coverage by over 40 News Channels TV , we were transported to hostage situations at the Taj,the Oberoi and Trident and to the Chabad House in Colaba to live the Horrors of the Terrorist Seige last Week in Mumbai in our Living Rooms !
But the Channel Anchors repeatedly boasted,yet are, of them being the first to Break News and that their Journalists,at great risk to their Lives were covering the Seige from close range and several angles
But my wife and I were dumbfounded and livid and even scared,when even Mainstream News Channels Like NDTV,Times Now and IBN 7 threw caution and commonsense to the Winds in some of their Coverage
Celebrity TV Anchors like Barkha Dutt,Managing Editor of ‘NDTV’ and Arnab Goswami of ‘Times Now’ came across as dangerously careless when they conveyed the positions of many ‘Hostages of Circumstances ‘ while the Seige was going on….They are open to being sued for malpractice (careless behaviour by a professional) and manslaughter (killing someone without meaning to do so)
Have a Look at these Instances :
ARNAB GOSWAMI ON ‘TIMES NOW’
He managed to get through to the Mobile of Mr Krishnadas,MP, at the Taj while the seige was on….This was a snatch of the madness that was relayed live on Times Now
Arnab Goswami :” Where are you right Now ! ? “
Mr Krishnadas : “I’m on the First Floor alongwith 200 people ! “
This was a Mad,Situation Insensitive,Dangerous Question and the MP should have replied ” In Hell !” and slammed the phone
In another Instance,a Times Now Journalist is relaying back to Arnab that there are people holed up in the Regal Room at the Taj…Arnab had realised his earlier foolishness and quickly interrupts…but the damage was done
BARKHA DUTT ON ‘NDTV 24 * 7’
Barkha Dutt let’s through a relay where a Husband is disclosing the last hiding position of his Wife…She even counters a General’s wise and deliberate contention that there were probably no more people held as hostage in the Oberoi and Trident by calling up the Oberoi Head who holds out the possibility of atleast a 100 people yet hostage to the situation
Barkha Dutt has been conferred the Padma Shri by our Government…Wonder what will they now confer on her !…She has been widely criticised for her coverage of the Kargil War,where she has been accused by no less than the Indian Navy Chief,Admiral Sureesh Mehta, for the death of three soldiers in the Kargil conflict…her coverage compromised operational details and locations of our soldiers
ON IBN 7 (The Hindi News Channel of CNN-IBN Network)
The Terrorists began striking on the Night of Wednesday,November 26,2008 and the Seige went on till the Morning of Saturday,November 29,2008…..I had ventured into Office on Friday,November 28,2008 only to hurriedly close it at around 1pm…the reason IBN 7 telecast Breaking News that there was fresh firing at VT Station…the Headline was super imposed on a still Photograph of the casualties in the earlier firing at the station on Wednesday,November 26,2008…All those who saw this, like I did, must have felt like I did…that these were fresh casualties….sometime later they telecast it was just a rumour !
ON INDIA TV
Would you believe it !..This Channel, that is notorious for sensationalising a lot of News,carried the conversation between supposedly the Terrorists who had struck and them !
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting must pull them up appropriately
2 thoughts on “Mumbai Terrorist Seige : How even the Mainstream Indian TV Media Lost it’s Marbles !”
If we only had some sense and respect as a nation ! Arnab Goswami is a first class example of a mediocre having an opinion and rendering judgments on issues which he cannot even fathom. Shame on the Times Group, the Media fraternity and the ill informed people of this country to allow this incompetent person hold daily media trials and deliver judgements all in the name of debate. Any other contry and he would have been tried for subversion of media and abuse of journalistic freedom. Height of complacence on the part of TOI group to be tolerating such inaptitude and callousness. History is replete with instances when stupids in positions of power have caused misery and loss of lives !
Dear Anna….I sense your anger on this…and to some extent am with you when the media is misused to promote vested interests and personal agendas….No one is perfect….Media Anchors too….Mistakes are made,and as we have seen during the 26/11 coverage sometimes critical….but do consider this….if our Media does not raise Issues and bring them to the forefront even our Qutb Minar would have been sold by now !….the Anchor you mention and judge,Arnab Goswami of the Times Group has developed a good fan following because of highlighting many important topical,contemporary,controversial and relevant issues in Prime time Debates,often with credible experts on both sides of the Debate for a balanced viewpoint…..he also has his share of critics,largely for the reasons you’ve mentioned…..but I do agree that there should be no Trial by Media and Anchors should exercise discretion,caution and restraint in making judgements or imposing their own bias and views on screen in these News hours debates…the line is thin but it should not be violated…and our judicial system should not be subverted….India is now wise after the unprecedented horror of 26/11 being fed live for three days by all media channels…such a live coverage is not allowed now…the Information and Broadcasting Act has been suitably strengthened and tightened for this and censorship is applied where appropriate and required