Road rage

On a pleasant Sunday morning, when I was conversing with a relative of mine on a road I noticed a a large poster on the wall. No, it was not the picture of a hero or heroine of a new film that attracted my eyes.

The poster was of a youth, a motorbike racer, pasted on his first death anniversary. The boy had died in an accident.

My relative told me that racing on the roads had killed many young lives. Racing and rage on the roads take lives not necessarily because of the speed alone, but due to bad road conditions and speedbreakers laid at unexpected places without any norms and reflectors installed. He told me that just at a nearby road a schoolgirl had lost balance after hitting a speedbreaker two days ago and lost her life.

The blame for loss of young lives should mainly be laid on the doors of parents and the traffic police. Parents yield to the dangerous desire of their sons to buy and drive high-speed bikes at an age in which they do not have much control over vehicles nor the patience and maturity to drive in heavy traffic conditions. Their only drive is speed and the thrill they get out of it.

The youngsters often are a victim of peer pressure. Driving on roads at top speed alongwith their friends has caught up; this leads to accidents, minor and major. If the poster that was put up by his friends showed their remebrance, there was this online tribute to the boy by a person who tried to befriend him 20 days after his death.

**********

A NOTE ON RAHUL K

1

I gave a friend request to rahul k twenty days after he died... his password must have burnt inside the electric crematorium.. his profile would look like this always, to the unfriended.. just like he has become, alien,and distant after his death

2.

i first met rahul k in the obituary banner outside his school by friends who think they know him well because they were with him all the time they are the ones that believe they know themselves well because they are with their own selves all the time.

3

i have never met rahul k i can never be friends with him.. noone knew him better than the median of the road his superbike hit... it met him without prejudice without the batter of his friends, without the hullabaloo of adolescence without the money of his dad and with that mercilessness , crushed the flowers of his innocence all of us had ignored when he lived..

4

then in the darkness , he remains as a profile in the facebook and a few photographs that wouldnt yellow with time.. and that is just about the only thing the internet saved for ' us' from the sands of time...

DEDICATED TO RAHUL KOSAKI AND EVERYONE ELSE HE EPITOMIZES

*******

The police do not book, as much as they should, the youngsters for over speeding, not wearing helmets and endangering the lives of other users on the road. This menace can be curbed if the following measures are taken. Police must implement strictly rules relating to licence for driving, helmet wearing, and speeding on roads. Heavy fines must be imposed on all offences in this regard. There is a need to save the youths from overspeeding, aggression, and abnormal behaviour in public that poses risks to others' lives.

A study note on road rage cited by a neuro psychiatrist notes there are external factors such as noise, overcrowding, and temperature that rule the emotions of an aggressive driver. So the solution lies in parental control, counselling in schools and colleges, strict imposing of traffic norms by the police and educating and creating awareness in youth about the need for valuing one's life and that of others in society.

Evil of rape: What media and society can do

When the nation feels outraged, media goes berserk, and tongues keep wagging there definitely is an issue or two out there in full public glare. So it is with the gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in a bus in Delhi on the night of December 16, 2012. The violence has been roundly condemned by all, including Parliament, and has shaken the conscience of millions.
There are two points here to be noted as far as media is concerned: one, while it is good that the media raises the issue in detail so that action could be taken, what one cannot accept is its lack of interest once the focus on the issue fades. There is no follow-up except in cases where court battles are waged or there are political fallouts. Whatever happened to the victims? And, what of community action and recommendations made by society and government?
The second aspect is an ethical one. Will the media raise a hue and cry if the incidents of violence, rape and murder relate to ordinary people in towns and rural areas? Nearly 90 per cent of sexual assaults take place in the rural areas, we are told. Every hour two women are raped in India.
Of the 21,397 cases of rape reported in 2009 (figures for which are available in the National Crime Records Bureau website www.ncrb.nic.in), as many as 12,812 victims (59.8%) were women in the age group of 18-30 years.
A shocking detail revealed is that most offenders were known to the victims -- as many as 20,311 (94.9%.) which calls for the making of a society that is tolerant of emancipation of girls and women and protective of girls and women.
Awareness campaigns from the school level and safeguard mechanisms in villages or towns (like local committees), public places and workplaces will help tackle such cases and eventually reduce the number of cases. Film-makers, television authorities and the government must ensure that rape scenes are not portrayed and women are not shown as sex objects.
Delhi is not the only place where the number of rape incidents is increasing. Madhya Pradesh topped the list in 2009, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. Have we ever heard about incidents occurring in these States being highlighted? Maybe, if these fit in the media strategy.
One of my lawyer friends says following retributive law in such crimes will act as a deterrent. Eight States in America have adopted castration as a punishment for rapists. In India, rapists get lesser prison terms. The punishment should be severe and include castration, and organ removal cum life term in cases where kids and minor girls are raped (as many as 2470 such cases were reported in 2009).
Ask anyone you meet in society about the punishment for rape, and pat will come the answer that the rapists must be killed on the spot or shot or hanged. What sections of the media speak is contrary to informed public opinion, which calls for harsh punishment, in the absence of which crimes and criminals are bound to increase by leaps and bounds in our lenient society. And this may lead to the popularisation of the gun culture, which is tormenting developed societies.

Simply Malicious Service

(For my other posts see http://journo1958.blogspot.in/)

Simply Malicious Service, that's how I want to redefine SMS.

The ferocity with which malicious information has spread through SMS in the latest info war against Northeast people and the accuracy with which it hit the targets and extracted the required reaction astounds everyone. It's equivalent to the launching of a successful Agni exercise.

Now, the question arises as to who has injected the deadly virus into the mobiles. While the Intelligence is after the DNA of the virulent messages and their progenitors, we have some points to ponder.

How to track malicious information in the millions of SMSs that are sent out everyday through various operators is the gigantic question before cyber specialists.

I am reminded of how some people got the vicarious pleasure in making bomb hoax calls to even schools. The government has to take severe action against such rumour-mongers by bringing out a legislation.

The new episode has added a chapter to the cyber war that has emerged as another war front. India will do well to tackle this kind of war given its information technology prowess.

Technical issues apart, are we as a nation not tolerant to cultural differences and identities? Those who are intolerant and want to keep their identities only should hang their heads in shame for not rising above 'narrow domestic walls.'

(For my other posts see http://journo1958.blogspot.in/)

Sorry state, indeed!

(For my other posts see http://journo1958.blogspot.in/)

A sorry state of affairs indeed! A 65-year-old Dalit leader recently committed suicide, citing a reason that many would not think so serious as to take one's life. He obviously was fed up with the state of affairs and the way people's reps and leaders functioned. while the details of this incident are yet to emerge - and may never see the light of the day due to media apathy -- there is no doubt that he was upset about the way things are. Are people being served well by their leaders? It may be a moot question but ask anyone on the street, in buses and trains, and at workplaces you will come across the common refrain -- leaders have become selfish and serve well their own own ends, and those of their kin. Such people are seen in small groups, associations, and even in leading organisations. Their ulterior motives are to benefit at the expense of others and to sustain vested interests. Public interest always suffers in this process. People are denied basic services such as potable water and proper roads. And, if they ask for them through the RTI they are putting their lives at risk. A vibrant democracy no doubt, but is it an utilitarian one?

(For my other posts see http://journo1958.blogspot.in/)

Hisssss Act Against Bribe

The campaigns against corruption --- whether by Hazare, political yatris like Advani, or other outfits --- may well have taken a leaf out of the method adopted by a villager to tackle corruption in Haraiyan tehsil in Basti district, an obscure place in Uttar Pradesh this past week (November last week). The man finally let the lethal weapon he had with him – hissing snakes!

Reportedly angered by the bribe sought by the revenue staff to clear his paper for an additional land, for which he had appealed to President Pratibha Patil, the man, named Hakkul, thought this would be the best way to get his message across.

The employees scurried for safety taking refuge on tabletops and some ran away fearing for lives. This made up a hilarious scene for a movie!

We wake up from slumber to reality only if something hurts us or threatens our position or existence. This many would frankly admit.

What the snake charmer did was right. But we do not know the full story like why he wanted more land for conservation of the reptiles, etc. But his action would definitely have had an impact on the government servants.

This only shows that the lower bureaucracy must be included in any scheme of anti-corruption measure envisaged. If this is true, how is it fair not to include Group C staff of the Central government and the judges themselves.

If the aim of all is to eliminate corruption, it has to be at all levels – right from the peon to the minister.

Press paints Naxals negatively

“One must know what one is writing about” may not seem to be a far-fetched idea for a journalist. Yet, there are many who do superficial reporting of events and follow them up with analyses that do not present a proper perspective of the issues involved.

This seems to hold true in the case of journalists who write about naxalites and issues that concern them, according to a study of the reports of four newspapers – two in
English, The Hindu and The New Indian Express (TNIE) and two in Telugu (Eenadu and Vaartha). Most of them lacked an in-depth study of the ideology of the movement.

The study covering eight years, from 1999 to 2006, was the basis of a book on “Newspapers and naxalite movement” written by Dr. J. Madhu Babu and published in 2010 by Kanishka Publishers, New Delhi.

The study comes up with some startling disclosures: that the press as a whole has projected a negative image of the naxalite movement by focusing on naxal violence such as blasts, burning of properties, attack on authorities, etc.; that the newspapers ignored tribal welfare questions, the agony of people and their reactions to activities of naxalites and the police.

With the press failing “to focus on the unresolved question of tribal welfare…the tribal uneducated or semi-educated youth are attracted towards the Naxalite movement.”

The press has not analysed the reasons for the failure of welfare programmes to reach the tribal population, it says. This theme received less coverage. The Hindu, for example, did not publish even a single news item on tribal welfare measures during the study period.

The comprehensive study, carried out with tested research methodologies, covered a total of 4,387 news items published, 2,330 photos, 31 edit articles, 74 editorials, 10 editorial cartoons, 55 pocket cartoons and 184 letters to the editor. These were evaluated against a wide range of factors such as category of news, sub categories, and whether they were favourable, unfavourable or neutral.

Eenadu published the highest number of news items (31.8 per cent), followed by Vaartha (31.5 p.c.), The Hindu (19.6) and The New Indian Express (17.1).

The highest number of photos (1,000) was by Eenadu, next Vaartha (892), The Hindu (233) and TNIE (205).

TH and TNIE each published only one cartoon on the issue.
In terms of editorials, Vaartha (74) led, followed by Eenadu (16), TNIE (14) and THE HINDU (8).

During the study period of eight years, there was not a single article on naxalites in The Hindu while TNIE wrote only two; Vaartha led with 20 and Eenadu followed with 9.

The Hindu accounted for the most number of letters to the editor (75) among the dailies.

It also gave more prominence in terms of political parties’ reactions and human rights issues involved. In coverage of peace talks, TNIE put out more stories. All the papers, including Vaartha, gave less coverage to people’s reactions against naxalites and police.

Journalists have become insensitive to the killings of naxalites and police repression. For example, headings of the encounter stories give only the figures. And only the police version is carried.

The Naxlite issue is seen more as a law and order problem and the violence as harmful to society.

In coverage of reactions of political parties to naxal activities, The Hindu gave prominence to the Congress, BJP, Communists and the TDP while The New Indian Express gave priority to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti.

The study rightly points out that the newspapers have the onerous task to represent the case of the poor and the voiceless in society. They also should play a positive role in resolving the conflict between the naxalites and the government.

The book also presents profiles of important naxal leaders and the chronological events in the movement, and the profiles of the newspapers covered, which are of research value.

Students and researchers in the field of journalism can benefit by reading the book, especially about the content analysis methods adopted.


K. Kirubanidhi
Sr. Asst. Editor
The Hindu
Email: journo1958@gmail.com

Digital publishing for Indian news media - Part III & last

Integrated Newsroom

The major problem is the integration of the print and online staff – the two poles in an organisation . We may have to take lessons from many organisations that have already done it. In India too, integrated and coordinated newsrooms have come about in the Hindi newspaper majors Dainik Bhaskar and Dainik Jagran respectively.

When professionalism was seriously talked about by the media and decisions taken in the 1990s in India, it usually related to the blue-eyed boys and girls, namely the reporters and correspondents. But the western experience of rotation of journalists on the desk and on the field was clearly ignored.

Now the integrated newsroom ought to encourage this in both versions. And only the term journalist would matter more if they are rolled into one and asked to do reporting and editing by turns. This would also the address the problem of lack of special stories and exclusives as all journalists will feel the need for breaking news of all hues.

What will differentiate one paper from another is the publishing of special stories with human interest and exclusive ones across the spectrum. Once this tribe of integrated journalists comes into being, there is nothing that is going to stop them from making their organisations the best ones.

Jakarta Globe

Take the Jakarta Globe online, for instance. The stories that come under the Editors Choice are very interesting and well-written. Recently, there was a story about their Homeless World Cup soccer team members – one of whom walked a long distance to raise funds to enable the team go to France for the cup. He was inspired by his mother’s words to keep promises, something that was ignored by a prominent public personality.

Compare this with some segments of the cricket-obsessed Indian media that chose to downplay the Indian hockey team’s protest over the paltry sum offered to them for their recent victory over Pakistan in the Asian Champions Trophy. All sports need to be encouraged and the media needs to play a larger role in this and derive all advantages that it can get from the youth in this respect.

The Globe also had a story about comics being used by Islamic schools to teach tolerance showed the transparency with which their system works. It received very sharp comments both from a person who opposed fundamentalism and another critical of Christians.

I wonder whether such feedback could be put on any website in India.
The challenge for the Indian media is to be glocal as well as local. Non-news sites are already tapping the citizen journalism front which quenches the thirst for news ignored or not covered by the mainstream media.

The Indian media needs to take all these factors into consideration and launch digital initiatives by playing to their strength and adding new readers through modern methods and devices.


(journo1958@gmail.com)

K.Kirubanidhi
Sr. Asst. Editor
The Hindu
Chennai