Call it a Mirror

“I wish to be there. I wanted to analyze what is going on there.” says a correspondent of a local channel as soon as the Sabarimala stampede tragedy happened yesterday. It is not out of the sympathy for the victims. There was a journalistic tone in it. This question has always been alive; whether a media person should act as commentator or should help out the injured.

Even the minister was surprised because media couldn’t air live clippings from the spot. Thinking from a media perspective, it is so unfortunate that no channels or journals came out with live reports. But when seen from a commoner’s angle, at least in the later stages, the mass crowd of journalists simply stood there with their cameras instead of helping the injured.

After each incident, this question is raised and left unanswered. “When an incident happens, we’ll get extra work. That is tiresome. If nothing happens, it is boring too.” comments a cameraman. These words are not just of a single individual, but the whole media fraternity.

Now the viewers or readers are addicted seeing such stuff. Every company works for profit. Media is also a business firm. For any media, audience is their customer. If a product goes well, there is no need to withdraw it in the name of humanity if the majority of the population doesn’t count it as inhumane…!

Again media cannot be simply called atrocious. It does the job of a mirror in society. Mirror shows your wound. Seeing that, you can further cure it by possible treatments. Similarly media reflects what is going on in society making people aware and alert. Further decisions have to be taken by the viewers; whether to react or remain silent.