Social Activists and NGOs

An article in Times of India prompts me to write this post. I am just going to vent out my frustrations and opinions on NGOs and some National Social Agencies. (Article is not found on the TOI website)

Duelling with the city police was an article under the City Lights of the Times of India on 26th Jan ‘09. The gist of the story is the National Commission for Women member Ms Nirmala Venkatesh going to a police station in Chennai with a posse of journalists and an 80 year old woman. The reason is the police harass this woman who sells biscuits in street. The filmy way of the whole episode was very graphically presented by the Times. It also said the NCW member demanded the constables to salute her for the post she holds and demanded justice for that old women who was harassed for hawking her wares in the street.

There are two points here.

1. The police had a valid point that the lady was a traffic hindrance. This is very common in the cities, where the vehicles, the cows, the pedestrians, the hawkers and peddlers jostle for space on the roads. These hawkers with their wares occupy every space on the pavement making pedestrians to walk on the road and face all sort uncertainties.

2. Even if your are the President of India, you don’t go around putting your weight. Respect is commanded not demanded. Why do a lowly person salute the higher up? It is not the status or the position he holds, it is out of respect and adoration. This lady who was a MLA from Karnataka, this is not the first time she has troubled the police, parking in no parking areas and accusing the traffic policeman of bribery.

Has Ms Nirmala Venkatesh seen this issue on a different angle and enquired about all the mitigating circumstances in the alleged harassment of the police? What right has the NCW member demand the police to salute her?

The NGOs and these agencies are becoming more and more of a pain. They think their cause is the most important issue in the society, but have seen the other side of the argument? Human rights mean rights of all, not just the oppressed or the downtrodden.

By obstructing the traffic the lady has caused inconvenience to the cops, the drivers and the pedestrians. So what about their rights? Every situation has another side to it and I would like these people to enquire the full incident before making a dramatic entrance to the scene.

Yes, it is fine if the NGOs and the social activists have a zealous approach to their cause, but it should be done within the parameters of law and the rights of others.

Cable Television Network Regulations (CNR) Act

This is an interesting topic on which I have commented on many occasions in the print media, called up TV stations, wrote to the editors, given online comments. This is one topic I have a great interest. You can start with The Times of India, Times Now TV, NDTV, CNN IBN, and countless number of regional and national media houses.

I remember the good old days of DD and their sober news time. With the advent of the cable television and entry of TRP based performances have greatly contribute to the crass quality, sensationalism and giving irrelevant, trivial information just for the sake of creating sympathy, anger and increase their viewership. This is not limited to some small players who can only survive this rat race by publishing or covering these trivial, petty and sensationalistic information. But this is the case with the big players as well.

I am just commenting on the common style of the presenters and anchor in TV News Channels

1. They try to put words into the mouth of the interviewees instead of soliciting their opinions.

2. They are very often biased in its coverage of issues of National importance like the reservations issue, communalism and the sensational murder cases (like the Arushi Talwar murder, which was a total character assassination)

3. They all have the Intellectual arrogance - all try their earnest best to push its own view on its viewers instead of presenting the story at hand in a unbiased manner

4. Sensationalism and insensitivity - all make trivial or insignificant issues into something of great magnitude, the poor viewer has no option but to become panicky. Anything can be written, peddled, promoted, distorted and sensationalized if it can sell.

5. A bunch of half baked presenters / writers whose only qualification for presenting / writing is their freedom of speech and who think they can write to and speak for an entire nation.

6. Personal opinions of presenters / writers are analysed, minor trends portrayed as the 'next big thing' and irrelevant minuscule details of celebrities and wannabes are made a part of a national debate.

7. Most of them are phony, pretentious, pseudo-secular (when-it-suits-me secularism) and have a prior opinion and try to prove a point. (That is not the goal of good journalism)

8. All indulge in one sided coverage, wrong news reportage, influencing the authorities and creating sympathy and media trials.

9. Have no respect for the guest interviewed, for example Karan Thapar... His interviews are such a farce and a mockery. The past interviews can be seen on the YouTube, like the one with J Jayalalitha. (Who in the end says it was not a pleasure talking to you)

10. Starting emotional campaigns. (Burka Dutt 'Enough is enough')

11. Continious feed of the so called Live... they just repeat the same over and over again. Bringing panelists and some inconsequential and irrelevant people to talk shows and deteriorate the issues further (Example Burka Dutt's talk show after the Mumbai terrorist attacks where Simi Garewal let her tongue loose and gave a very controversial statement)

12. Showing false concern, anger and sympathy (As if the reporter or the presenter is personally affected by these happenings). This is the most disgusting and the worst part of the all above.

I feel personally these tactics are used to generate TRP ratings and in turn get advertisements and revenue. But is that justified, by feeding such nonsense and sensationalized gibberish 24x7? The news channels as well as the print media are taking full advantage of all trivial and of no national importance issues and misusing the freedom of expression.

The Indian Media has to see the sobriety of the NPR.ORG website and their careful and responsible reporting. It is not just sensationalism or generating TRP, the Fourth Estate has a very vital role to play in the building of the nation and have a huge responsibility in giving clean and responsible coverage.

Unless the government take a strong stance on this, the media is going continue doing all the above for the TRP and advertisements. I really hope Rajdeep Sardesai, Burka Dutt, Arnab Goswami, Karan Thapar and many others change their ways by keeping a check on their reporting, analysing and presenting of news.