Shoot the messenger? | Kochi News

Kerala’s visual media has come under fire for its sensationalist coverage of recent tragedies, particularly the Ankola landslide. Critics say their pursuit of viewership has exploited the victims’ suffering and hampered rescue efforts. The incident sparked debate about the media’s responsibility during natural disasters and the need for greater accountability.

Recent natural disasters of unnatural proportions have brought to light certain unscrupulous tendencies in a section of the visual media in Kerala, which is desperately trying to increase its viewership.
A couple of months ago in Ankola district of Karnataka, this grotesque scene unfolded when media persons from Kerala descended on the place, inundating it with their macabre pursuit of dead victims, sensationalizing their reports to the extent of luring their audience into a trap for extended duration.
This morbid phenomenon, characterized by the media’s insatiable thirst for sensationalism, is becoming increasingly common as media outlets compete fiercely to outdo each other in the quest for higher ratings and viewership.
This redefined role of the media, now dedicated to dramatizing disaster coverage, has forced it to abandon any semblance of decency and objectivity as it brazenly exploits the suffering of others for its own gain. This alarming trend not only reflects the moral decay of the media industry, but also highlights the public’s growing appetite for grotesque and sensational content.
In recent years, while Kerala has been battling the ghost Nipah virus, catastrophic floods and the widespread Covid-19 pandemic, media coverage has led to a continuous and unhealthy pursuit of viewership. While the dissemination of precautionary advice and warnings to the general population is commendable, the tendency to stoke hysteria through sensationalism is regrettable.
Media coverage of Ankola disguised as a means to calm the trepidation of Keralites. The community’s rush to find out the fate of the missing truck driver, believed to be buried under mountains of rock and soil created by the landslide, initially drew public applause.
However, it soon crossed all boundaries of decency, venturing into forbidden territory that no civilized media would dare to violate. This offense prompted local law enforcement to impose a strict ban on Malayalam media access within a one kilometer radius of the disaster site.
This catastrophic landslide tragically killed at least six innocent people, with one victim hailing from Kerala. In their relentless quest to capitalize on this disaster, scores of local channels and their correspondents traveled nearly 1,000 kilometers from the capital of Kerala to this unfortunate place devastated by nature’s fury.
State government officials say their intervention, coupled with the self-proclaimed disaster experts they brought in, has only added to the complexity of rescue efforts, making them increasingly difficult.
An authority figure from a prominent media outlet was seen questioning junior police officers over the police chief’s absence from the scene, as if his mere presence could magically ease the crisis.
The narrative propagated by these media outlets implied that the Karnataka government was woefully inadequate in its efforts to carry out rescue operations for those buried under the rubble. On the contrary, government officials and residents of Karnataka countered that significant interference in rescue efforts was caused by so-called disaster experts called in by these media.
Inspired by the sensational initiatives of these media outlets, a group of volunteers gathered from different parts of the state in search of the missing Keralite driver, turning the entire effort into a disaster tourism exercise.
What explains the fervent zeal shown by the local media in Kerala in sensationalizing human tragedies? Are they so devoid of meaningful, newsworthy content that they resort to searching for remnants of disasters that can become the cornerstone of their narratives? Portraying adverse circumstances and promoting negativity is increasingly becoming a lucrative strategy to attract audience attention and increase TRP ratings in Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARQUE).
When the Karnataka landslide tragedy was repeated on a much larger scale in WayanadThe state and central governments eagerly swung into action. It is debatable whether the quick response to the disaster was due to the administrative acumen of the state government or to Kerala’s relatively small size, complemented by a strong communications infrastructure and ease of logistics that facilitate access in its predominantly semi-urban environment.
It is a fact that these internal advantages put Kerala ahead of many other states facing similar adversities, although it is undeniable that the state government showed no delay in responding to the disaster.
The media has a vital tool for scrutinizing government policies and highlighting factual shortcomings in the administration’s approach to relief efforts.
However, when the general tone of the discourse is one of unfounded condemnation of the government without any legal basis, it betrays the opposite sentiment in the media. It is evident that in the context of visual media in Kerala, the demarcation between constructive criticism and baseless defamation has become increasingly blurred and unclear.
Many anti-government media outlets even ventured to oppose the Chief Minister’s call for donations to the relief fund. A select group of self-proclaimed non-partisan policy analysts, often with prominent political views, devote their energy during local prime time to scrutinizing the actions taken by state government.
So-called independent political commentators unleashed a torrent of rhetorical excesses, much to the delight of their chosen audiences. They carefully strategized how to convincingly pin the responsibility for this disaster on the Chief Minister’s office.
Simultaneously, several YouTube channels are running continuously, mercilessly criticizing the state government for almost every conceivable mistake, as if this administration is incapable of implementing any beneficial initiatives for the people, even by mere luck.
When it becomes apparent that press self-regulatory bodies are unable to supervise wayward media outlets that compete with little or no compliance with established norms, it is imperative that a governing body with rule-making power step in and rein them in. these elements.
How can the government mitigate this threat without being labeled an autocracy or intolerant of dissent? Recalcitrant media, limited to minimal corrective measures, can easily position themselves as victims of government oppression.
It is critical that all stakeholders come together to reach consensus on the media’s responsibilities during disasters, ensuring that broadcasting serves the best interests of society. This approach will prevent the media from exacerbating the suffering of victims.
Mumbai-based writer, retired technocrat and news enthusiast.