Arnab’s News Hour exists because Barkha’s Buck never stops where it should
- In Current Affairs
- 09:02 AM, Aug 07, 2016
- Sunanda Vashisht
In 1990’s when terrorism had engulfed Kashmir valley, there was no social media, no private news, no way to know what was happening in Kashmir and elsewhere other than government approved news bulletins once or twice a day. We would huddle in the dark to listen to BBC to give us news about Kashmir. Power cuts were rampant, winters were harsh, nights were long and fear was overwhelming. BBC described terrorism in a strange vocabulary those days. Terror and terrorism had not entered the lexicon yet, terrorists were called unidentified gun men, valley was routinely referred to as Indian Administered Kashmir and tilt was always Anti India and pro Pakistan. (All of this is still true for Western Media.) Between dripping anti-India hatred to government released press releases masquerading as news there was nothing in between. My parents would often rue – No one tells the truth- as it is- in Kashmir and about Kashmir.
Two decades later India is a different country. There are more news channels than we can count, news is broadcast 24/7, there is social media which has heralded the phenomenon of citizen journalism, there are cell phones with cameras that has made censorship impossible. Don’t believe the recently mushroomed rabble rousers who cloak their hatred for Prime Minister for balanced critique when they tell you that media is being gagged. The fact that they are saying this via the op eds in largest circulated newspapers and TV news rooms blaring in your living rooms, that is sufficient to believe that there is hardly any restriction on the media. To be fair, you don’t have to give the government credit for this. In this age and time unless you are a Saudi Arabia or North Korea, no government can impose censorship. A vibrant, mature democracy like India will always have free media irrespective of which government is in power. Remember we are only talking about government imposed restrictions and not newsroom slants and tilts which are present everywhere and which are self- imposed and voluntarily assumed. We are only talking about government restrictions and government imposed gagging which is non-existent.
The reason for my long winded introduction here is to explain the media commotion about Kashmir coverage these days. Should Media have a point of view in covering Kashmir crisis? Of Course. Should Media have their own self-imposed slant and tilt in covering stories from Kashmir? That is inevitable and unavoidable. Should entire Media have what is called a ‘nationalist’ position on Kashmir? Certainly not and in any case that cannot be imposed. However, should Media draw a line when terrorists start using their work as a tool for their propaganda? Should Media introspect when terrorists use their slant as a recruitment tool? Should Media question itself when their slant is being used to further Islamist jihad? A sensible answer to all these questions is a resounding yes. This does not mean imposing censorship. This does not mean gagging free speech. This only means having a clear understanding of jihadist terror, how it operates, where it gets its oxygen from and what it feeds off. To my mind it is this clarity in a section of media that is missing.
It is with this understanding we must view Arnab Goswami vs Barkha Dutt rivalry or debate as some would call it. Both are flawed in how they understand and cover Kashmir. While Barkha Dutt exasperates most viewers by her insistence on giving human rights color to what is pure terrorism, Arnab Goswami insists on loud pretentious monologues and his penchant for passing judgements which as a journalist is not his job. It is very important to understand that Barkha has covered Kashmir for a long time now. For the longest time she was unchallenged and no one questioned her coverage simply because there was no forum do so. Big media was prerogative of select few and there was no way ordinary people could access it.
Arnab’s News Hour exists because Barkha’s Buck never stops where it ideally should. Arnab’s bluster is tolerated by people because Barkha will not show that stone pelters are paid, pellet guns are the only deterrent that works when security forces are left with no option and must save lives on both sides and Burhan Wani was driven by Islamist agenda and his azaadi is euphemism for Islamic state of Kashmir. It is the flawed understanding that Kashmir ‘struggle’ is somehow struggle for ‘self-determination’ and not simply refusal of Majority Muslim population of valley to live in what they call Hindu and therefore Kafir India. It is refusal to use the words jihaad, islamist terror and terrorism that has created Arnab. In a way, Barkha school of journalism birthed Arnab school of journalism.
Today as they both fight ego wars on Face Book pages, twitter and TV shows, it is the ordinary Indian who is suffocated. Two decades ago when my petrified family used to tune in to BBC news after being dissatisfied by All India Radio news and were frustrated with both BBC and AIR, the situation remains the same even after Indian Media opened up and there are more news channels than we can count.
No one reports Kashmir as it is without editorializing, no one understands that in not reporting truth they are hurting Kashmiris too. No one reports CRPF does not enter homes to spray pellet guns. Clearly those who were hurt were in harm’s way and in case of children someone had put them there. When Burhan Wani was made a ‘hero’ of ‘resistance’ that is when Arnab gets the opportunity to do his monologues and earn TRP’s.
What Indian Media needs to understand is that truth has been a victim in Kashmir. Taking a liberal positon on Kashmir jihad should not mean glorifying terrorists and splashing their bullet ridden bodies on front pages of newspapers to earn them sympathy. There is only one position on jihaad or Islamist Terrorism. It is a scourge on humanity and nothing we do or write should act as an apology to terrorism. There is only one position on Terror and barbarism. It should be wiped out from the face of earth. Terrorists have no human rights and deserve no sympathy. All sections of Media should work to defeat terrorism. That will be working in the interest of humanity and not working in the interest of any government.
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