murder of awareness or media awareness:

Chat shows and saas bahu sagas on TV are passé and stand up comedies, live dramas are preferred. News has ceased to be just information and is more of tear jerking, emotionally vibrating entertainment. Quick and easy. The day to day violent incidents as being reported calls for introspection in our society, a relook at our roots and cultural value is necessary to detect the virus. Is the society going berserk with murders becoming the order of the day? Do the media by its overindulgence really become the savior or does it hamper the investigations?

Television, the fastest source to bring to us the facts happening around the world spreads its wings and captures stories unheard of. This creates a sensationalism which audiences like to devour. I just witnessed a television show where a mother beat her chest in desperation as she pleaded that justice be granted to her dead daughter, who according to her was a victim of dowry demands. The channel, overtly obsessed with one new story each day, carefully captured each movement, each statement and emotion of the victims’ relatives. It’s a different story that the story became history the next day and rightly so, after all, tomorrow is another day!!

The whole country had been in a state of shock after the twin murders of Aarushi Talwar and the servant. Close to the heels followed the murder of a Creative head in Mumbai by a naval officer. The case was solved as the culprit cowed to police pressure. Another case of murder of a woman and the servant in Delhi took an easy turn with the police cracking the case within a week of the time the crime was committed. The Arushi murder case however; is proving to be the police’s nightmare as the mystery intensifies with each passing day. The over interference of the media was taking the wind out of the sails of the investigating agencies and an appeal by the family had the media introspecting about their role. The frenzy subsided, only to be refuelled by a press conference held by the IG, Meerut Range. That has just added to more speculations without anything concrete being made of the case. The audience irrespective of their age ( children wanted to know more about this case) watches on without batting an eyelid.

Has the media become a Caesarian autocrat, imposing its findings on the public mindset. Such unprofessional investigations to increase TRP’s are constitutional impropriety and will lay a doubt and create misgivings about judicial independence in the country.
There is a desperate drive by the news channels to cash in on the murder mysteries and increase their viewership. What one forgets is the intensity with which the media churns the lives of common people to suit their best interests.

It is very unfortunate that in spite of ours being a functional democracy where rule of the law prevails; the media has taken the onus unto themselves as justice providers. In the age of RTI and a prevailing standing commission of human rights and women commission and boosted with an independent judiciary and a vibrant parliament, does the media need to play such a role? This may augur well in a banana republic but certainly not in the Indian context. Nevertheless there have been aberrations in the Jesssica lal and Nitish Katara cases and media through the public voice has forced the system to have a relook at those cases, but it was not due to institutional faults but because of the game of money and use of unbridled power. The age of information and technology should not blind us creating Dhitrastras all around but should strengthen our resolve and faith in our constitutional and democratic system. In an era of excitement and adventure being derived from live system to e shows, there is little left for analysis and sound judgment. Media with its accessibility and wide coverage is bringing about a social revolution; getting together the best brains to find a solution to this growing malaise.
However, money and power should not influence the media so much that the public views their story as the real story.

It’s for the courts to decide who the scoundrels are and the truth would be unearthed by trained professionals. Too much of interference by the media leads to misleading information by vested interests and other responsible authorities who do so in a bid to protect the guilty. If the media contains its enthusiasm and presents only facts, they would help in being the true sentinels of a civilised society.

However the media in spite of its investigative nature in bringing case after case to foregone conclusions has in the recent past been a more helpful tool than the government agencies to bring certain cases to its logical conclusions. One such case is the Nitish Katara case where in spite of the prosecution being so powerful, they came within the ambit of law with the courts delivering a landmark and historic judgment in favor of the defence. Kudos media ! job well done. It is pertinent to mention here that the electronic media has played on the national strength of unity in diversity and created public opinion which has assisted in the judicial process. Government agencies dealing with high profile cases have been ticked off by the judiciary for their lackadaisical attitude , thanks to a vibrant and interactive media. At this point it would not be wrong to say that due to its forthrightness and sincerity the media is the fourth independent pillar of our democracy.
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