Have you ever watched a lion, a tiger or any other predator stalk a beast of prey? It lurks around in the shadows, waiting to sense the presence of its meal somewhere nearby. It can smell its food, it can follow the slightest movement in the grass and leaves and spot its unsuspecting prey. Then it pounces on the poor beast. It takes its meal to a place where it can enjoy itself undisturbed. After it has torn the animal to shreds with its sharp teeth and claws and has relished its meal, it will settle down to a well-deserved rest.
In a democracy like India, the press, especially the news channels, behave in much the same manner. They are always sniffing about to see what piece of news they can collect. They have sources in every place, whether it is in the government secretariat or a minister’s chamber, in schools, markets, buses, name it and they are there. They spare no one, be it the President or the Prime Minister, a principal of an educational institute or an ordinary citizen on the street.
Once they get the whiff of some juicy and sensational news, they will not let go of it till they can manage to follow it to its logical conclusion. In the process, very often unintentionally, many skeletons fall out of the cupboard. News channels are spurred by discoveries of new facts. The twists and turns in the tale also provide enough fuel for the story.
We cannot deny the fact that were it not for the news channels, many wrong-doings, especially by the powerful, would have intentionally been swept under the carpet. It is because news channel reporters fearlessly visit sites risking their lives and collect first hand information at ground zero and expose the facts that they come into the public domain. The discussions on these stories help to form and build up public opinion and viewers are forced to take notice of these facts, reflect on them and have an informed opinion of their own.
The people at the ‘eye of the storm’ usually react, at first by arrogantly denying everything outright. Sometimes they retreat into a ‘silent mode’. Sometimes their defence is weak, warped and laughable. But news channels go after them relentlessly. When the facts are exposed, only then because of the impact, there is pressure on the higher-ups to act.
News channels, in their efforts to do their job well, sometimes go overboard. They try to get the victims to speak even at the most difficult of times. In their bid to be the first to expose the guilt, they sometimes speculate and jump to wrong conclusions. To the exclusion of everything else, such news gets day-long coverage for consecutive days. The viewer gets fed up of listening to the same newscast and seeing the same visuals. A recent example is the Lalit Modi scandal. There is a constant comparison with other news channels to see which channel is the first to break the news or telecast interviews with the accused. The discussions of these incidents tend to get noisy and ugly. All restraint and respect is thrown to the winds.
The media is the watchdog of democracy and no one, yes no one, is above the constitution and law of the land. News channels have a duty to keep their viewers informed. They are also effective in mobilizing opinion and support for a worthy cause. But the news channels must use their good sense and discretion while carrying out their duties.
