Thursday, November 27, 2008

Mumbai terror attacks by media

This is one of the rare occasions when our team writes something serious, and unfortunately this is again a tragic occasion.

Our readers must have been watching television news for most of the day to get latest updates on the terrorist strikes in Mumbai, which started on Wednesday night and continued even as we write this (9.30 PM, Thursday) completing 24 hours when the first shootout was reported in Mumbai.

And I’m sure our readers not only got latest updates, they would have got to see latest ‘LIVE AND EXCLUSIVE’ videos and pictures on most of the news channels. The channels surely did a good job at getting news and information, whatever the source was, fast.

And the terrorists inside the hotels must have deputed one person to keep track of news reports to track movements of the security personnel and the army, and to finalize strategies to attack them.

Journalist friends of our team inform us that Home Ministry had called up editorial heads of news channels to direct them to stop reporting about deployment and movement of security agencies as it could compromise their safety, but the channels had some ‘internal resistance’ as they thought compliance with Ministry’s advices would compromise their ‘LIVE AND EXCLUSIVE’ status and TRPs.

But we watch the ‘LIVE AND EXCLUSIVE’ things and give them the TRPs. Maybe there should be an option of negative TRPs, just like we want negative vote in our electoral process.

Anyway, many of you couldn’t have slept and kept watching television (and improving TRPs) as the situation was so glum and depressing. And even if you had napped for a while, I guess you were shaken out of your slumber by our television anchors who hollered when smoke billowed out of Taj Hotel, as if a freak goal in football was scored or as if an accident in F1 race had taken place.

They also hollered to declare that it was 9/11 of India. Even a CIA official on CNN called it the same. In fact, foreign media, especially CNN and BBC, were talking all day about the terror strikes, even though it took some hours before CNN could convince their conscious that they should address the ‘gunmen’ as ‘terrorists’.

Yeah, indeed, it was 9/11 of India. But what did CNN do when 9/11 happened? They didn’t try to show ‘LIVE AND EXCLUSIVE’ rescue action, and they didn’t invade ground zero. Clearly Indian media could have learnt that. Hope they learn.

But they seemed to do one thing that CNN did when 9/11 happened. They didn’t take commercial breaks all night yesterday and till today’s morning. CNN had not taken commercial breaks for more than three days, perhaps for a week; correct us if we are wrong. Instead, CNN was showing messages of “we will not forget” and other messages of unity and reassurance during breaks between news bulletins. Our team thought our India media could at least match this aspect.

But we were wrong. Starting today afternoon, every channel, even the ones who exercised better editorial discretion (and ‘incidentally’ they were all English news channels), were showing advertisements of Chocolate Man, A monkey fond of wearing vests and underwear, slim sanitary napkins for women, and many other creative advertisements. And yeah, advertisements to vote for either BJP or Congress.

One of our pessimistic team member thought they didn’t take commercial break all night as those advertisement slots are anyway either not booked or realize low revenues, as there are very low TRPs of news channels in the night. Well, we don’t know what the reason was. Our journalist friends in news channels also don’t know.

Some of you might argue that after all news channels are in business, how can we expect them to not earn? Very true. We are not asking them to run in losses. We are not asking them to drop commercial advertisements with each terrorist strike as they seem to be routine now. But we believe that they could have taken such a decision this time as it was a rare occasion. They themselves called it 9/11 of India, everyday is not 9/11.

What would it have cost them? Just a 0.55% dip in the revenues for not showing advertisements for 2 days out of 365 days. Instead of each 100 rupees, they would have earned 99.45 rupees.

Such a big price to pay to show respect for the deaths of innocent people, in deference to sanity, in favor of wining credibility and support of people? Clearly the priorities lie elsewhere.

Anyway, we might be overreacting (are we?). But what explains the rationale behind India TV’s decision to broadcast a phone call by an alleged terrorist LIVE AND EXCLUSIVE?

The voice, listened to by millions all over India and abroad, claimed that the “Muslims of India would be proud of this act. Muslims of India are feeling relaxed and satisfied at their heart for this. Allah is with us and we’ll strike again” and similar messages.

And this audio clip was played again and again. Unedited, unrestrained, and unexplained. And a CNN reporter from Mumbai told his studio in Atlanta that some parts of India were feeling communal tensions and there could be communal riots.

India TV proudly claimed – आतंकवादी इंडिया टीवी देख रहे हैं – Terrorists Are Watching India TV. Poetic!

Lord, forgive them as they don’t know what they are doing.

26 Comments:

Anonymous said...

I guess Times Now and IBN7 were not taking commercial breaks. Can anyone confirm it?

but I agree that Indian television channels were pathetic in coverage! BAN THEM, especially India TV

Anonymous said...

very well written

Anonymous said...

Are the guys at INDIA TV gone mad.How they claim that terrorists were watching their channel . I would say then why we require such a huge force to control terrorist. Easily just send a INDIA TV representative inside the hotel to have the further talks.

Really pathetic! Please BANN this channel and take away their BROADCASTING rights forever.

Anonymous said...

I think India TV's coverage was far better than any of them. Everytime I heard something new was from India TV first.

Anonymous said...

wow, we have a India TV supporter above. you might have heard 'new' things, but did u spare a though on what do these 'new' things do to the strategy of commandos or to the psyche of citizens? only one solution - BAN INDIA TV

Anonymous said...

Hey I think you mis-understood me, the "new" news was first telecasted by India TV and then others followed. I am NO supporter for India TV. Just my two cents.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry if I sounded personal, but friend, think about what they were doing. they would actually have caused riots! and the "new" news was first on India TV becoz they never care to check if a news could be false and simply broadcast it. they had called Mehrauli blasts as serial blasts!
let them stick to showing stories on ghosts and donkeys, that's they are best at and that's what their mental level is.

Anonymous said...

Indian media needs to grow up
why those fools are displaying Live coverage when there s chance that Terrorists might be keeping a eye on it

I am not gonna watch India Tv again , what cheap type of persons are they . they are helping terrorists kill Indian Commando/police force ??

They should be ashamed of putting their channel name as India TV , change it to something like Terrorist fav channel with puchline as , Channel widely watched by Terrorists!!

Jai Hind

Anonymous said...

hey guys
sorry to say i can't approve this "india tv broadcasting problem" as i have not kept a serious track of what going on in the news channels. but i do agree that indian news channels are too naive to understand the effect of providing live news in such serious situation.
AND about banning these news channels, do u expect the government to do such things because they get money frm them. aur indian govt. jiska namak khata hae use kabhi halal nehi karta chahe woh jo bhi ho.

Anonymous said...

Hey i don't know but why Indian media is not getting matured with time. Come on if we want to show we are different from others, please let make things change in different ways. For example broadcasting LIVE telecast is OK, but why the news reader want to know the details of each and every situation. I mean knowing the position of Army is really gonna help a COMMON MAN in any way, please tell me any of the news channels CEO. Come on guys be realistic and help the army and police officers. Really a BULLSHIT work is done by our media and just saying our BRAVE REPORTERS. These guys are not allowed beyond certain areas.

Really Really shameful coverage by our immatured media. Atleast these foolish things are not expected from people like Rajat Sharma (INDIA TV, this channel is really an ass hole channel) and Rajdip Sardesai (asking a Japanese cook how he is feeling or he is scared, come on the person who has escaped this deadly battle will be scared only or they think he will be happy and enjoying.

The Indian media is really a 1 bullshit coverage medium. Other channels like headline today, ajttak also follow the same league. All of them are idiots.

Our govt. is still not taking any stringent actions against terrorism. Come on Mr. Manmohan wake up now atleast before its too late. Why the hell we are lacking in security though we have everything.

Please Rajat Sharma, if u r reading this (i would say please read this)make some matured and logical statements and not like TEERORIST R WATCHING INDIA TV as of they don't have any work after taking the hostages and just to watch ur channel. And please if possible please close ur channel. And start some fun reality show. Your channel's broadcasting is much much worst than the BIGBOSS 2 broadcasting.

Anonymous said...

Media is behaving responsibly from today morning, maybe due to such outcry by netizens. though I also heard that IB officials contacted them and either put pressure or requested them to behave maturely. but hope, MEDIA GROWS UP.

Anonymous said...

Hey still the media is not maturing. I saw this on TIMES NOW saying that the commandos (@3-4) have taken position in Nariman HOuse.

See still they are doing stupid things

Unknown said...

Why the hell are advt's there on your site....... cant you just remove them for 2 days...

you first be clean and then try to criticize someone

Pagal Patrakar said...

Dear Srinivas,

First of all, we never claimed ourselves to be serious news websit, in fact, we are satirical about news, but still, WE HAVE REMOVED ADS till the commando operations get over. I guess you might have confused some banner exchanges and widgets that we have put as ads. They are not ads and we don't earn through those banner exchanges or widgets.

Thanks for visiting the site.

Apun Ka Desh said...

India TV is CRAP. We know that. Rajat Gupta - the guy heading it - has lost it.

BUT WHY BLAME MEDIA ALONE. Look at the following:

1. Indians VOTE for CASTE, REGIONALISM, free RICE, free ELECTRICITY, free BICYCLE, free BOOZE.

2. NEVER in India's history has there been a DHARNA to protest pot-holed roads, lack of drinking water, missing power.

3. Every election 20% Criminals get elected to Indian Parliment.

So, what do we expect? Invariably no lessons will be learned.

All the above are CLEAR SIGNALS to Enemies of India - what a weak country it is. A few centuries ago it was ENSLAVED for similar reasons.

A.prem said...

Be it any news channel.. the way these reporters speak.. it shows that this is business..very insensitive.. the families of the hostages are watching for gods sake.. it was all dramatic.

i think the rescue operation should have been shown.. the rest(initial reports on where the blasts took place) was well covered.

Anonymous said...

Reading through the article and through the comments made me more sick. As a netizen of India and the Indian news site, I thank God I never had a chance to see these pathetic TV stations. Why can't our own people go and do a "sanitization" of India TV ?

Anonymous said...

Well, I don't know about India TV but one thing that pains me every minute more than the strike itself is the insensitivity and short sightedness of almost all indians, politicians and media in paticular. I can see nobody is produ to be an Indian and nobdy thinks that they have some sort of responsbility towards the nation. Modi comes mumbai and delcares that he had met the families of the deceased police chiefs and declares one crore help. I am prompted to say kill that bastard and I will give 2 crores as exgratia to his family. NSG commandos and the security forces are the only true patriots. Time and again, they come to the rescue (or to put it straight they are pushed infront as sheilds to save us from the results of the dirty work we did all along to create such a ssituation). India needs a leader, every body is disoriented, shortsighted and selfish. But what is surprising is they are selfish to the extent that they sell the country all because they feel nothing will touch they, they are forever prtected by the Z plus category security they get. Some of us love our nation to much to leave it this way. I promise that whatever rest of the life I live I will make myself stronger to help and take my country and its people in a direction of strenght, love, responsibility, equality and justice.

Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram!!
Mother give me strenght!!

Anonymous said...

all theseindian national TV channels know how to help Hindu terror organisations like RSS, Bajrang Dal, shivasena to demonise the cultural inhabitants of this country.

Rahul said...

When twin towers had started falling, the CNN anchor had told, "aww.. I have no words" and he kept silent as the towers fell like pack of cards..
Imagine an Indian anchor in same situation - aur yeh dekhiye, twin towers gir raha hai, bahut zor se gir raha hai (will scream) sirf humaare channel pe gir raha hai, pura girne wala hai, tv chhod ke mat jaaiye, blah blah blah...

Anonymous said...

The entire objective of India TV in engaging the two terrorists in an on-air conversation was to elicit the information about their origin, background, intentions and their foreign origin.
It is this conversation that helped security agencies analyse their accent and get first-hand confirmation that they had come from Pakistan and not from Hyderabad in the Deccan.
All across the globe, messages of dreaded terrorist Osma Bin Laden and interviews of self-styled commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashker-e-Taiba have been put to use by the media to expose their intent.
India TV with the help of security agencies established that one terrorist, Shadullah, was using the mobile phone of a Swedish lady, Lisa Ringner, kept hostage in Room No. 1856 at the Oberoi. The other terrorist, Imran Babar, holed up in Nariman House, was using the phone belonging to another hostage, Holtzberg Gaverlein".
Channel had repeatedly asked the terrorists to surrender as they were surrounded by security forces and appealed to them to release the hostages.

Now, verification of callers..

The first call came in the morning from Shadullah who was holed up in Oberoi Hotel, Mumbai. Using Cellphone no. 09769679723 belonging to a Swedish lady named Lisa Ringner from Room No. 1856, Hotel Oberoi, Shadullah rang up India TVs popular number 93505 93505

The second call was from another terrorist Imran Babar from Nariman House, Mumbai, where he used the cellphone no. 9819464530 belonging to Holtzberg Gaverlein, staying at Nariman House Number 3, Hormusji Street, Colaba, Mumbai.

Anonymous said...

the coverage of ndtv reporter barkha dutt was to say the lest was very irritating. whenever she came on tv i have to mute my tv.

Anonymous said...

cool!!! weekend is over, everyone is back to work.
and the world is normal again.

and why not!! we have to keep eating before we can go quack quack quack after the next attack!!!

India ka matlab hai : all talk and no action!!

Anonymous said...

Right you are my friend. In a country where the value of your life is non-existent, life goes on...

Anonymous said...

they should be trained professionally

Anonymous said...

India’s all news channels are telecasting fake news
its day they were showing karaka wearing helmet and bullet proof jacket before entering the cama hospital to fight terrorists.
Next day they were showing karaka and his team (who were also investigating Hindu terrorists behind bombings) were found dead in their vehicle before terrorists pull them out to throw.
They were also showing that all terrorists were wearing Hindu religious wrist bands but never mentioned that.

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