Friday, September 08, 2006

Covering the blasts in Malegaon: Would somebody rein in these journos?

The day after the blasts, the reporters from Mumbai who had rushed to Malegaon for 'their story', began barging into houses and showing grief-stricken families.

"This is the house where three persons of the same family died, one youth and two children", said the reporter of a national channel. In a tragic atmosphere he moved into the inner room pointing towards the women. And a few expletives came out of my mouth. That was really sick and I switched off the television.

When will the journalists, anchors and senior editors realise that its absolutley unethical and wrong. It is a tragedy, not just a big story or the reporter's hour which he can mention later in his CV that he had covered Malegaon blasts as well.

They can talk to some persons outside the house, so much could have been done to show the grief in air but they dispalyed not an iota of concern towards the sensibilities of the victims or viewers. The mourning town may tolerate such behaviour but these actions only invite contempt towards the profession of journalism that is unhealth for entire Indian journalism.

As usual NDTV India was good in covering tragedies. For CNN-IBN Toral Varia did a very good job. She was calm, composed, sombre as the occasion demanded and not excited as many other reporters.

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