All in the name of breaking news

A wailing wife, a despondent father, oblivious children and a ray of hope that he would survive. As I woke up early this morning and turned on the television these were the images which flashed before my eyes and I almost felt as if ice cold water had been splashed on my face. This is the story of the Indian engineer who was kidnapped in Taliban day before. To the TV media this was yet another story and once again they treaded the fine line between humane and the news aspect of this story. As Mr Shyam Saran expressed his concerns along with confirming the news of the death of this man, the news channels flashed images of a shattered family. Pain, agony suffering, I believe once again served as a gourmet for the hungry media. It clearly indicates how television news seems to have acquired a new face of invasion.

We as consumers in India today have been witnesses to a tremendous upsurge in the television industry. The spate in the no of news channels I believe has been bolstered by this growth in the television industry. It is hard to keep count of the number of news channels today and over a period of very short span time they have grown pretty much like the population of our country. With these channels and news being available 24*7 things have become very convenient and I am sure if my grandfather were alive today he would have loved this concept cause then he would not have to wait for the 9’0 clock news. The instant or breaking news delivered to us right from the oven can be appreciated in the conventional sense because it keeps us abreast with the latest and hence is a feather on the cap of instant communication and collaboration. The appreciation for these channels which keep us informed round the clock may also be attributed to the way they have brought people together during national calamities and have redeemed a whole lot of people from their state of alienation or misery. Whether it is the earthquake or the tsunami or the Jessica Lal case or that of compensation issues of retired army officers, they have risen to the occasion and in ways more than one rendered a helping hand. Most of this however can be easily shrugged off as the presumed responsibilities of this media and I believe that the biggest paradox lies in the fact that all what seems humanitarian in most cases is just another story for them. There is a very fine line between what needs to be covered and what is to be spared and most of the times they tread this line. Why is there a need to flash images of a weeping mother or a shattered family ?? The apathy of the Indian government is evidently seen in their attitude and what is lost cannot be brought back. All I feel like saying is “for Christ sake leave the family alone and let them grieve in peace” Bringing in 4 flashing camers into their house cannot be justified in the name of breaking news, reality or even humanity.