A CORRESPONDENT WHO NEVER GOT THE JOB - Part 2

The media awards for performing disproportionate role in shaping public perceptions of politics, electoral outcomes and the way power is exercised can be shared by all channels. Elders said when family quarrels, neighbors must not get to hear. When political parties quarrel media wants the nation to hear and the world to watch. What influences this; patriotism, freedom of speech or commercial needs.

The lady correspondent wanted to carry the story of Yogesh Chithade (an ex Indian Air force service man) & Sumedha Chithade his wife from Pune who donated a second oxygen plant to the Indian army at Kupwara district Jammu-Kashmir in April 2022. Most of us are not aware of either this one or the previous donation done in 2019 at 5400 metres height at the icy Siachean Mountains. They used their savings, sold jewellery, and later formed an NGO for armed forces personnel. The Siachean oxygen plant benefits 20,000 Indian soldiers who experience immense breathing problems at those heights and above. This script got superseded over other noisy scripts, the only consolation was the PM gave time to meet them.

In another assignment our lady correspondent was covering a violent demonstration of stone throwing & arson, their cameras rolled on and they had some sensitive footage. Soon other media houses started screening disturbing footage and hatred script reporting the event. The lady correspondent was also screening her footage, but at the police commissioner’s office in the presence of the district magistrate. With this responsible piece of evidence you and I can do nothing about, but the police and judiciary can act timely. Her feed to the news room was a still photograph of a burning tyre with script “Political parties offer employment to youth to conduct violence for a political expression. Recordings of the incident are in possession of the police and judiciary who have already initiated action, a detailed report will follow by investigating authorities”. While the other channels were proving who was first to break news, the lady correspondent was counting the number of arrests of miscreants”. Again her content was too little to gain TRP ratings, hence no credits for her.

Barring a handful exceptions the Indian political community is diseased with ego, fame, power and needs treatment. Once elections are over, the reference, presence and mention of any political party must dissolve/cease and what survives must be just an Indian (until next elections). The lady correspondent only interviewed elected represented by the people, ruling or opposition on national political matters. Party spokespersons she never interviewed, as like a lawyer representing their client (party) interest, is all they do.

Just as ruling party nominates its elected representatives for various ministries, the correspondent would go to the leader of opposition and ask them to designate a person for each ministry who would then watch and be part of the planning, discussions and debate, making a responsible active opposition. The ruling and the opposition in each ministry had to conclude national policy matters to single common consensus in a set period. On successful conclusions both the oppositions and the ruling were glorified on prime time. Oh no this is far from reality, because we viewers cannot miss the ranting television anchors, opposition big no for anything everything and the free for all debates confusing us and dividing us. With pleasure the media gives us what we want, just that the lady correspondent never got the job.

Working for a cause, not for applause, living life to express and not impress the lady correspondent continues her independent script writing in print media.