Media's role during Mumbai terrorist attack

Indian media failed to rise to the occasion once again. It was a tragedy that unfolded in Mumbai for 48 hrs but channels didn't appear sombre and regulated.

Instead, they were over-excited and showing everything as if it was a 'live war reporting' though wars aren't reported in this manner either. There were alerts, flashes, scrawls and breaking new for 50 hrs.

The aim was to grab eyeballs. Ads were not shown as the viewer could switch to other channel in the meantime. The news channels wanted highest TRP in this troubled times, so that they can later demand higher rates for advertisements and stay up on chart.

Much will be discussed in the coming days whether it was prudent to show the positions of police, commandos and officials in the initial stage of encounter in Taj Hotel that left officers, ATS chief Hemant Karkare and others dead.

Worst was the conduct of the so-called celebrity reporters who wanted their cameramen to zoom on everything as they lay on the ground. A star reporter-cum-anchor spoke lying on the ground to create the impact that he was reporting from warzone.

Others were not sure how to be on the ground and either grotesquely prostrated themself on laid down on their back or side. The same anchor was drunk when he first appeared in the first hour of the tragedy.

The slur was visible and he was cut short. He later re-appeared on Thursday morning. In the end, all these channels together made a tamasha of the tragedy and served it to audience as if it was any other tamasha.

Where on earth the reporters are allowed to mob such a site? The government also woke up very late and by the time the TV channels stopping showing 'live' [7 pm on Friday], it was already too late. But our electronic media made a mockery of itself.

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Extraordinary terrorist attack on Mumbai: 150 dead, hundreds injured

It was nothing less than a war in Mumbai. Sophisticated guns were used in firing, grenades were thrown and bombs exploded as everybody appeared clueless in face of a terrorist strike of such magnitude in Mumbai.

The hotels like Taj and Oberoi were targeted. A restaurant, cinema hall, bus stand, railway station and a hospital were also among the sites that were attacked. Firing and explosions were heard on TV as journalists frantically ran for bytes and looked for the eyewitnesses.

It was an unprecedented attack and TV reports said that fidayeen were involved. Though it will take a few hours for the complete picture to emerge but TV channels were reporting 15 deaths*. The commando operations were planned to rescue the hostages in hotels.

However, the electronic media must think why it goes for sensationalism in an hour of extraordinary tragedy with constant alerts. Shouldn't they facilitate rescue operations rather than causing panic?

When OB Vans and reporters-cameramen from every channel reach each spot, it makes the job of police and relief workers more difficult.

This is an aspect, which the media must reflect on quite seriously. The army had been called and hostages were rescued as the operation was on till early hours of Thursday. After 50 hrs the siege at Jewish cultural centre, Nariman House, ended.

Later reports have confirmed that over 10 police officials laid their lives in the battle against the terrorists. ATS chief Hemant Karkare, ACP Ashok Kamte and Crime Branch officer Vijay Salaskar achieved martyrdom. The total number of deaths have exceeded 150.

[Photos: The dome of Hotel Taj that was set on fire and the Leopold cafe that was a target of terrorists]

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