some of the electronic media barons often say that camera does not lie, it shows the truth all the time but in this incident camera did lie and it happened because the intentions in the brain working behind the camera were wrong.
Electronic media is the strongest medium of mass communication in India today because it has greater support from technological advancements; however, the Internet medium of mass communication is giving tough competition to visual medium of communication in the country.
Blogs can be accessed as effortlessly as established media websites and cable allows one to surf between channels on an equal basis. The power of camera is the strongest tool in the hand of TV journalism but it needs good intention in the brain working behind the camera to do the real job. In a market-driven environment it will have to be the responsibility of the media and citizens both to create a society where the rule of law is less casually disobeyed.
In the whole drama of ’sting operation’ done by a private news channel, Live India, to expose a school teacher, has been proved as framed to defame her. This is also being said that the reporter, Praksh Singh, did it because of his friend who wanted to settle some personal scores with the school teacher.
The major question that why did the editorial team of the channel allowed to air the visuals of the sting operation and started blaming Uma Khurana, the math teacher in Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, responsible for forcing the school girls in prostitution.
The channel openly accused her of running a prostitution racket on the basis of the same visuals on which the Delhi Police crime branch claimed that this was the false allegation as there was no any evidence against Uma Khurana.
The dubious credibility of the news channel forced people to go violent. The mob started beating up the woman, created chaos, damaged cars and public property and attacked police personnel. The school even suspended her from the job just on the basis of what now appears to be a frame-up by a personal contact.
According to police reports, a businessman, hostile to Khurana, actually had initiated the sting against Khurana. Sudhir Choudhury, CEO of the channel Live India that showed the news, reportedly have defended his channel’s story. He said that the revelations about the sting-op did not actually mean that Khurana was absolved of her crime.
Is that enough? Has the media transformed in a tool to brand a person a criminal by expose him or her to open dishonor and violence? Who says camera does not lie? Camera may lie when one presents a particular part of the whole shoot up in a distorted manner.
One can find many evidences now days that would show easily show the media has become a space where some influential people can play out their grievances and satisfy a range of needs. People are getting easy access to the screen of the news channel for gaining attention, for taking revenge or making justifiable complaints against anyone.
Previously, there was a sense of control on the part of the content going in media. But, in the race of grabbing sensational incidents, the camera’s ever-present gaze and the vital importance has been reduced to an environment where the sense of responsibility is going down.
Do we really need to have a code of content on such news channels? The Information and Broadcasting minister will be seriously thinking to restart the whole process to impose a code on media after this incident.
