Putting words into the mouth of the interviewee
Manipulating words : Alibi of editing
- Sangai Express Editorial :: November 09 , 2013 -

Irom Chanu Sharmila - Pix :: Deepak Oinam

There seems to be a design at play here

Nothing wrong and in fact the media is expected to raise questions, but it is the timing that is suspect

It happened some three years back and it has happened again

Rewind to 2010 and when the Just Peace Foundation and Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign, correction, the people of Manipur and others who believe in the dignified existence of all mankind, were rolling up their sleeves to commemorate the completion of 10 years of her fast to demand the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, came the 'breaking news' from a mainstream or regional newspaper detailing her personal story with a certain Mr Desmond Coutinho

Nothing wrong with going ahead and publishing the personal story of the peace campaigner, for after all, she is also a human being with sentiments and feelings but here again the timing is suspect

Fast forward to 2013 and just when a Nation wide campaign was underway from November 4 to 6 with the Save Sharmila Solidarity Campaign and Amnesty International, India at the helm and with the National Human Rights Commission crowning her with the tag, "Prisoner of Conscience" came the exclusive interview from NDTV wherein, Sharmila is quoted to have said that she has received 'honour killing' threats over her affairs with Mr Coutinho

Sharmila went further and dubbed those close to her as 'acting like the Taliban

' From the proceeds of the interview it should be clear, the focus of the interviewer was not on her campaign or the Armed Forces Special Powers Act but on her personal life, vis-a-vis her affairs with Mr Coutinho

It is not entirely against the ethics of the media to raise personal or private questions at times, but sidelining her campaign against the continued imposition of the Army Act and concentrating on her personal lives may just amount to crossing that fine, defining line

Take these questions along with the timing and there are so many things that may be read into the exclusive interview

If Sharmila can be quizzed on her personal life, then why not raised questions on who Mr Coutinho is ? What is his exact status ? It is in the knowledge of The Sangai Express that Mr Coutinho visited Manipur on a student visa with a British passport, but other than this, there is not much that is known about this man, who has publicly professed his love for Sharmila

It is a common trait with many journalists

Putting words in the mouth of the interviewee

A look at what was aired and what actually happened during the interview, before it was edited, a copy of which is in the possession of The Sangai Express, should give an insight to the points that are sought to be raised here

Sharmila did say that there were threats but not once did she say that the threats came from members of the Just Peace Foundation, but dubbed them as 'so called supporters', a term which should be self explanatory

But the screaming headlines sought to say otherwise, a case of manipulating words or sentences

'Movement or campaign hijacked' was another term that was sought to be put into the mouth of Sharmila but the answer did not come in the affirmative

Rather it was a NO

However the news highlighted this term to good effect

Comes close to perfecting the art of interviewing where the interviewer seeks to push the interviewee into a corner and say things which the interviewer wants to hear

Clearly being the rallying point of the anti-AFSPA campaign is no longer about carrying the banner

There are bound to be tricky but 'straight forward' questions, the answers of which can be manipulated to such an extent that the spirit in which it was said runs contrary to what is actually aired

Manipulating words and sentences under the alibi of editing

This is the lesson that Irom Chanu Sharmila should learn

Not an easy task but it would not hurt to be on the alert.