|
Indian media is accountable, allegedly!
V. Gangadhar surveys the various ways through which media, both print and visual, prove their accountability. Political crises. Terrorist attacks. Communal riots. Kashmir and other disputes with Pakistan. It is the responsibility of our media to cover and comment on these and other important issues.
Media, like other sections of society, has to be accountable for its actions. Different sections of media use different yardsticks of accountability in order to prove and maintain their credibility. Decades ago, as I worked as a reporter with the Times of India, I was told not to commit myself fully to any story which I submitted to the news desk. If I had to report a simple stabbing incident, it better read as “An allegedly 24-year-old alleged youth, was alleged to have stabbed his alleged friend with an alleged ‘rampuri’ knife for his alleged refusal to pay back an allegedly petty loan of Rs. 10. The local police are allegedly investigating the alleged stabbing.”
Terrific, isn’t it? Such a report cleverly avoids any kind of accountability because of the magic word, ‘alleged’. No one could sue the paper for defamation or any other press law. The ‘alleged’ youth may be a middle aged man, the knife he used may not be a ‘rampuri’ but a flick knife, the loan amount may not have been Rs. 10 but Rs. 5. So what? Our accountability stood the test, because we used the wonderful word ‘alleged’.
Media is the only force which is not bound by the rules of accountability. And if any one protested it can shout from the housetops that freedom of the press is being throttled. Yes, the media is the one privileged institution which can interpret accountability or the lack of it to its own convenience.
You see, the media is never wrong. It can make front page allegations, none of which can be proved, and if threatened with a defamation suit, publish a four-line clarification somewhere in the commerce page where no one would read it. Isn’t that a piece of brilliant accountability? This is called the right of reply! Four lines against 4000 words!
The issue of accountability is handled more strongly on television by the broadcast media. Interviewed by say, Karan Thapar in his weekly ‘Devil’s Advocate’ programme, the ‘victim’, usually a political leader, is accused of so many things by Thapar. The victim denies these charges. Now Thapar has to maintain his accountability. So he brings his face close to that of the victim, fixes him with a beady eye, snarls his charges again and again, till the political victim, shakes in his legs and is prepared to confess to anything and everything. And Thapar proves once again in public that his arguments are irrefutable and his statements fully accountable.
Maniacal eyes, snarls, that is Karan Thapar. Strong vocal chords and ability to outshout any one in the business, that is Rajdeep Sardesai. Interviewing or talking to politicians, Rajdeep, the headman at CNN-IBN News Channel, believes that outshouting everyone would prove his accountability. Rajdeep makes a point to a politician, the politician attempts to refute the point, and Rajdeep with a sneering contemptuous look raises his voice by several decibels shouting ‘You are an ass.
A first rate ass, yes or no. Answer in one word’. The nervy politician may blurt out a ‘Yes’ and Rajdeep with a smirk on his face thus proved his accountability and passes on to the next question. Most of our senior TV anchors prove their accountability by asking questions and not allowing participants in the discussion to answer by constantly shouting and drowning the voices of others in the programme. On NDTV 24×7, Barkha Dutt uses her Bharatanatyam steps while asking questions which she answers herself after squatting near the show participants and patting them on their backs. This technique is called Vocal Chords
Accountability and is not found in any other TV channel. Watch and listen to Barkha Dutt, Rajdeep Sardesai, Sagarika Ghose and you will know what I mean.
This quality makes our news channels the most accountable in the world.
Indian media, both print and broadcast, are specially gifted because of these qualities. They reflect the freedom enjoyed by the press in India. Now that the general elections are near, you can watch TV, listen to the radio and confirm these facts. By the way, the best way to enjoy our TV discussions is by inserting wads of cotton into our ears, particularly when Rajdeep and Co. are in action.
The writer is a well-known satirist.
|