Is Indian media promoting violence against women through news?

By Sandeep Datta

It seems as if the market (read TRP) demand is compelling media organizations too much to show everything titillating (read exclusive) with no holds bar. But not many have realized that the news involving violence against women, in particular, is indirectly popularizing it.

Many media organization are today showing everything what should have ethically been censored at least for LIVE content.

Showing news of women being stripped or beaten reflects the latest an relatively latest charm. And, despite being 'blurred' after being shown for dozens of time on TV, it just looks like covering someone's naked body with a transparent sheet.

Be it the public humiliation of any woman by a mad mob in any village or a group of miscreants taking off someone's clothes, it appears to have become a craze for many media organisaitons.

Instead of showing a tragic incident, the news reports look like serving material for voyerists.The reports like compassion and instead are found highlighting how the victim struggled and was worth a 'public entertainment' for all onlookers.

It is a common knowledge that whenever any news involves a female's modesty going haywire, it attracts curiosity of even the most disinterested folks. But they way it is presented most often, if not every time, it looks the media providing what anyone missed!

Certainly, media's objective should never sound like so by any possible means and there are more than enough highly cautious journalists who can curb it within no time.

It is not that such incidents should not be covered, the presentation on national television needs a rethink.

The way it is today presented looks anything, but NEWS. It looks like as if media organizations are popularizing: "How to insult the weaker sex". The news that ought to have triggered outrage and sympathy in victims' favour ultimately turns into a free of cost public entertainment.

It is true needs self-regulation while covering various sensitive issues, involving wome and violence. It is required by all moral and logical sense.

Otherwise, this could only discourage every victim from raising her voice and just meekly give in fearing public ignominy after MEDIA coverage.

It would be surprising if a media head shows 'helplessness' sighting 'emerging news trends' or 'compulsions' of cut throat competitions. Everyone knows, things can always be presented in different manner, provided, what way we actually wish to.

There can be so many ways to inform public about any incident. Be it animated version or to the point reportage without repetitions for hours or showing less of the visual revealing shots about a victim facing an embarrassing condition, media organisations can deal with such news a lot more sensitively than they do most of the times.

Avoiding such a self-regulation can only familiarise wrongdoers with ways to humiliate women and prove a nightmare for even any women reporter or anyone of our families.

Let's not show a woman/girl's face on screen just because she is too poor to protest why her identity was revealed in a difficult condition. And, let's not hide a woman/girl's face just because she is educated or rich enough to take a company or journo by task for revealing her identity at a time when she was frantically seeking help.

Otherwise, who will be responsible if tomorrow it started taking place every now and then? Like the mob-killings already have. Will we be able to control it by any means? Then why are we advertising the methods directly or indirectly?

Is there not any other way to report a rape or such an incident? Or, we wish to serve it before everyone including the children sitting in drawing rooms?

Can we imagine the plight of any of the woman meeting the same fate in a street fight or anyone at public place like a market or even parking place?

It looks most of the media heads are ignoring such coverage’s repercussions for any common man on the street? Who will protect his daughter or wife? Do we really think Police could be of any help?

The serious concern seeks the top notch journalists' attention with humble request and by all logic to please refrain from promoting such reports.

Let's not indirectly teach the hoodlums how to blacken or beat someone mercilessly in public even if it's a girl.

Our Indian media can do great social service if it abstains itself from clinging to tabloid culture. It will earn itself respect in public by informing and not entertaining while reporting a serious issue like women stripping or facing violence.

Let's not offer voyeuristic pleasure to the news-seeking people in drawing rooms. Let's not be a party in offering sadistic pleasure through somebody's frantic condition