Our media still require to learn a thing or two

Dr Th Suresh *

Our media still require to learn a thing or two..Important events still uncovered and neglected; that aggressiveness and in-depth analysis is lacking

Bravos to Times Now and other electronic media based in Delhi for 24x7 coverage of the recent incident involving assault by the Assembly Speaker’s escort party to another police sub-inspector A. Amitabh in a civil dress who was riding a scooter with his lady and 2 children on 10th May ’15 near Kangla Fort. Had it not been for the same, one would have wondered the appropriate actions taken and registering an FIR ever been undertaken. May be, it would happen after a bandh/demonstration etc. by a JAC as is the style and practice now.

What I am trying to put in is the immense power endowed to our Fourth Estate. Whether one likes it or not, we have not seen this immense power as yet. The space for improvement is becoming taller and taller to reach. Let me put a few examples to make it clear to the readers. During his last visit, Union Home Ministry Rajnath Singh apologised to our Fourth Estate for the excesses committed by AR personnel at Moreh.

Though the incident was highlighted to the maximum, the apology was given minimum space by some; and neglected by others. One would have liked that the Apology would have hit the headlines. This would have been the case if it was in other states and areas where there is a vibrant and 24x7 coverage, unfortunately, not in our state. I have put this idea in one panel discussion in a live telecast.

I can enumerate other examples: How often our media covered the important cases lying in our high court/other courts? Did they ever find how many contempt cases lying un-disposed in our high court? How many un-disposed cases lying in our courts, for how long and for what reason?

Is there ever an article/ panel discussion regarding the conduct of various layers who tried to postpone repeatedly to hook the petitioners? What about the conduct of the various judges – pro-government or otherwise and critical analysis of their various judgements? What about the various layers/advocates whose dual functions - government advocate in some cases and private lawyer in others – affecting the very fabric of judicial independence? What about the various rape cases, the number of FIRs and the punishment melted out?

Other examples are: Practically nil coverage of important events e.g., the writer’s AFSPA PIL in Supreme Court and Merger Agreement in our high Court etc etc. Except one time or two time headline coverage in the beginning, I have never seen any critical review of these PILs nor do I see any correspondent coming to the court and taking minutes and reporting. As a result, the petitioner is left with no option except a press release.

The media never investigates the number of times the court gives permission to the respondents to file their counter-affidavit in the PIL merger agreement. Did the media ever remember that Smt. Sonia Gandhi, as Chairperson of UPA 1, while addressing an election rally at Wangjing Kodompokpi Stadium on 5/2/2007, stated that repealing AFSPA from the entire state after the polls will be the top priority of the next Congress Government.

Did anyone ever embarrass our government and CM, or for that matter, the central Congress leaders by asking this question? Did anyone ever quote it? I, on my part, however, included it in the PIL filed in the Supreme Court. The same is true for many important cases.

In the light of these frank views expressed above, your writer would like to keep a few suggestions to our Fourth Estate:

1. Proprietors - As one is not a master in all fields, the proprietors need to employ various experts covering various fields as consulting/honorary editors. This practice is seen in many big media houses/channels. A beginning can be made in Manipur by having honorary editors to save expenses. I presume there are interested persons for the same. It will not also affect, I repeat again, ‘will not affect’ the position of the present Editors who will continue as Chief Editors.

2. Role of the Editors: i) specialised reporters - in the present highly specialised fields, the editors should appoint specialised reporters of at least important branches e.g. legal, medical, education, environment etc. If suitable candidates are not found, a particular reporter be assigned a specific subject; by doing so, he/she can become an expert in a particular topic in a few years. In short, reporters be classified into general and specialised category. This will certainly add in-depth analysis and critical review. The editors also need to constantly pock and train his reporter and editing staff for the same in-depth analysis and critical review.

ii) Art of interview - he is also to teach them the art of interviewing and important topics to be asked/covered in an interview. I had read many interviews covering only generalities and leaving pin-point ones. This is particularly so in press conferences covering visiting central dignitaries. Both printed and electronic media should teach their respective reporters the arts of interview and how to conduct an interview.

A questionnaire be prepared before the reporter is sent for an interview iii) need for refreshers’ course/degree & diploma courses - further, there is a need to send to various refreshers’ courses lasting a few months or so by the management for those already working. Nowadays, many young bachelor degree holders who studied abroad and are fluent both in English and Hindi are available. Media houses should conduct talent hunt and sponsor them in their respective journals. This will solve the inherent weakness of the present lot reporters who are unfamiliar in English and Hindi speaking. This will certainly enhance credibility of various interviews.

iv) Editors’ Guild: a) Request for press meet – as many union Ministers are visiting N-E states under Modi’s direction, Editors have to prepare a blue print to interview them. Editors’ Guild should call upon State BJP unit and request to arrange for a press meet for every visiting Minister. If needed, they may meet Amit Shah, BJP president and request the same. Editors in turn, should prepare a questionnaire covering the subjects handled by that particular Minister. When the Minister visits a 2nd time, he can be cornered about the non-fulfilment of what he promised in the 1st visit. By doing so, the state will immensely benefit as the Minister has to be in his/her toe whenever he visits this troubled state,

b) request to CM - One of the main regions for un-ability to cover various ministers in our state, I am told, are their refusal to attend press meets/panel discussions. In this aspect the Editors’ Guild should meet our CM and request them to send Ministers and bureaucrats for the same. I don’t see any reason why our CM will refuse the request.

v) Panel discussion - though the 2 electronic houses conduct various panel discussions, I often wonder their effectiveness. In many panel discussions, representatives of various political parties and various related officials are not present. They may be present in a stray discussion here and there. This gives the responsible persons an escape route. In fact, they should be grilled and grilled as done in Delhi’s 24x 7 channels. We are lacking that final punch – ‘to the point’ by Karan Thapar (presently Headlines Today /India Today), or Arnab Goswami’s (Times Now) ‘News Hour’. We may not be able to reach their height; what I am striking is - the need to learn and the scope for improvement. It is also useless to ask only soft questions to occasional press meets/ panel discussions as is done occasionally in our state. It is a form of media bribe.

3. Need to tie up with Delhi’s 24x7 channels: I often felt that some form of arrangement be be made with at least 2/3 channels based at Delhi as various important events reported here are not striking at Delhi. I tried to have such one 3/4S years back, but could not formalise. May be the editors’ Guild may have the opportunity to do so through their colleagues i.e. Delhi Editors’ Guild. I am ready to sponsor this as a beginning.

These are a few suggestions to my media friends; other experts can add more. Manipur history is replete with examples of how a tragedy of heavy magnitude explodes in the beginning and then remained dormant forever, unseen and unsung. It is only a vibrant media which can save us from this. Hence, it is felt that time has come for a beginning to initiate in respect of the suggestions listed above.