Media (Un)Defined

Rare are the ones who come into this world with an obsession for justice and truth. But privileged are those who grasp the opportunity to do the world some good, to do themselves some good. Armed with a passion and longing for fairness, they strive, within the boundaries of investigative journalism to sketch a beautiful portrait, on a grey and mucky canvas, a portrait filled with bravery and courage to do the “right” thing.

But what happens when the picture goes hazy and blotches make way onto the canvas? The ink blurs and the muck and grey don’t seem to get camouflaged anymore? … Brows get raised and the eyes roll, questioning the integrity of the boastful passion, wondering what the definitions of “Justice” and “Truth” truly are.

A few years ago, a model turned celebrity barmaid was shot down at a socialite’s party. The shooter, the son of an MLA was acquitted despite there being enough evidence to prove him guilty. The Court’s decision cast a dark shadow on the very premise that it stands on – Justice. The acquittal shocked the country and triggered off a momentous outcry from the common man. What tilted the game was the support that came in the form of media. The case was reopened and the power of media ensured that justice prevailed.

Source: www.tap.info.tn

With time, Journalism has got equipped with a power and influence that is second to none. But the realist does not hesitate to wonder – Is there a “what’s in it for me?” attitude that could probably be the underlying factor for such courageous journalism? Could the high from taking a politician down be high enough to be the ultimate goal?

Jessica Lal’s family got their fair due. Journalism was soaring in the success of the moment; its power to do the “right” thing.  Unknowingly the case made the masses begin to resort to the Media for redressal rather than the Police. 

A few years later along came the case of Aarushi and the Talwar family. A gruesome murder that left the country shocked once again. Killed in her own bed, she was but 14 years old. Suspicion mounted on the live-in cook Hemraj and his friends but all of it was washed off once Hemraj’s body was found. What followed has till date left everyone flummoxed. Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, Aarushi’s parents were arrested on charges of both the murders. Purely based on circumstantial evidence which has been questioned by all, the court trial saga that ensued seemed everything but fair. Parents charged with the murder of their own offspring, could it get any more agonizing than this? An investigation dominated by suspected loopholes and unconvincing evidence presented by the authorities; the verdict was long in the making. The CBI seemed to be out on a vengeance, almost as if they had a personal vendetta to serve. In all the mayhem what stuck out like a sore thumb was the absence of investigative journalism. Unlike the Jessical Lal case where the Media stepped in when it smelt a fishy verdict, this time around they seemed to have stayed away.

Journalists were omnipresent, there was no doubt. The case was in their spotlight, which was very clear. Then what was amiss? That spark the common man saw with Jessica Lal’s case was missing. The Media fished every bait thrown out and devoured them down with extra salt and pepper each time. The general public inclining towards the same verdict seemed to add fuel to the reporting. Rather than give the case an objective look, the focus seemed to be on glorifying the juicy conclusion.  Each piece of evidence was sensationalized, every aspect of the victim and the accused was smothered across print and TV alike. Every behavior interpreted. Not even the family would have known them as much as the Media proclaimed they did.

The law declared the parents guilty and the order demanded capital punishment. It seemed like the system had staged a huge conspiracy. Finally lifetime imprisonment was the sentence announced to a stunned audience. A single tear rolled down the cheek, was this for real? Nobody cried foul; sections of the Media did spend some moments scrutinizing the verdict but not enough to stay afloat and be heard; it definitely did not gather the popular voice the way it did for Jessica. Somewhere along the line the investigation from the journalism seemed to have gone missing.

What went wrong? On one hand there was a case that inspired a passion for justice, on the other one that makes the head hang in shame. Why has the same passion not stirred for Aarushi? What worked for Jessica but not the Talwars?

Conflicting reactions makes one wonder if the action taken is only in the best interest of what suits the media house; it sure does make the “What’s in it for me” attitude seem to be for real. Was Jessica an opportunity to put down a Politician? Are the Talwars the scapegoat for sensationalizing news? What triggers such contradictory responses?

Journalism and Media seems to be undergoing a change. As they get more and more familiar with Power and Influence, a single stroke of their pen or a moment captured on the reel can make or break reputations and careers. Business tycoons and politicians are seen courting the Media; that’s the kind of muscle the Fourth Estate wields today.

While one struggles with the dilemma of defining the “Right” vis-à-vis the “Wrong”, another picture of Journalism is surfacing –One that further messes the canvas; damaging it beyond repair.They are, despite all odds considered to be a “protective” force that attempts to bring in discipline into the society. But when the Protector turns wild, faith gets fractured for good.

Tarun Tejpal, a name synonymous with sting operations and “perseverance” for justice, stamped all over it and brushed it under the carpet with his “misinterpretation” of a situation and so called bad judgment. Sexual abuse by a media person shattered the very core of the field’s philosophy. To further cover it up and declare yourself as “framed” revealed another dent in the already cracked façade that most of the Media world seem to have been living under for ages. If that wasn’t enough, the incident tumbled out quite a few bones from the Tehelka cupboard –Fishy funding, dubious share sales and a rag to riches story.

The disgraceful saga that is unfolding today symbolizes the handicap that Authority and Influence brings along - Lust… for Power, Money,Fame and now Sex. It was all that the pen and the camera pursued, only to find it taking up residence in their own house.

Three incidents; each disclosing a different facet of inhumane behavior. The media reacted to each differently – supporting justice for Jessica, being just a messenger of the system for the Talwars and engulfing itself in shame as far as Tehelka was concerned.

One gave some hope; the other two are not letting it live.

The readers are but mute spectators, watching the game from the sidelines. As the rules of the game keep changing, confusion clouds their minds and they wonder where it will all lead; what will be the game changer and how the outcome will get decided. A win or a loss, it does not really matter as long it is in the spirit of justice and the definition of right stays just that... right.