Friday, October 1, 2010

It's not just what, but also how you say it

The bundle of The Times of India and The Economic Times at the doorsteps of hostelers at MDI offered an interesting insight to those who could read between the lines.


The front page of the Times of India read - "2 Parts to Hindus, 1 Part to Muslims" and a showed a map of the divided Ayodhya site. The front page of the Economic Times read - "Land divided, India United" and showed pictures of hope, peace, preparedness and prayer.


One story, two ways narrate it. One media conglomerate, two newpapers with differing styles.


Is the former a case of provocative writing and the latter of responsible writing? Or is it that the former is reporting the facts, and the latter feelings, personal or general?  How much should the media reflect public opinion and how much should it steer it? At what point does it cross the line?


These questions have always dogged society at large, with no conclusive answers. Perhaps it's best to deal with it on a case to case basis. An issue, as sensitive as this one, deserves sensitive reporting.


What was the best way to handle this bit of news? This byte? What is your opinion?


 

18 comments:

  1. Not only the headline the text inside was also provocative. At one place it said Ram idol was “forcibly” planted inside the mosque, whereas courts have not said that anywhere.
    Media today thrives on sensationalism, so it is no wonder that it resorts to such measures. Balanced view has became such a luxury and we are are fed more views than news. The normal tricks are omission or distortion of facts, selective reporting, literary tricks, strategic location of news on the pages.
    We should better be watchful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting observation Team CorpCom! :)

    I feel that media should mainly stick to placing the facts in front of the reader... if they want to state opinions... then they ought to play the role of a debate moderator by bringing out at least 2 points of views.

    This is something which TOI usually does on their editorial page... were on select issues they publish for and against view!

    -Ram Sharma (PG07)

    PS: Impressed by d fact that u r making this blog active... Way to Go... Keep it up! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm not siding with either ET or ToI on this issue (although, considering my corporate future, I should be siding with ET ;), but here's some more food for thought:
    "What's History but a fable well told"- Napolean Bonaparte.
    So, as it turns out, what you feel depends on what you feed on!

    ReplyDelete
  4. hey..the same thng clicked me wen i saw the front headline on TOI...media whether electronic or print has become a mere puppet with no regard to their stature in the society....

    ReplyDelete
  5. as soon as I detected this internet site I went on reddit to share some of the love with them.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I enjoy your piece of work, thankyou for all the good posts .

    ReplyDelete
  7. At least 7 or 8 thousands visitors at your weblog now, nice results for single website.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Was looking this morning for thoughts on God’s use of ordinary people. I appreciated yours.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 4 words review = unique,ugly,featureless and cangetbetterinfuckingtime!

    ReplyDelete
  10. There are a lot of strange comments on here.

    ReplyDelete
  11. There are a lot of strange comments on here.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I’d be inclined to okay with you on this. Which is not something I typically do! I really like reading a post that will make people think. Also, thanks for allowing me to speak my mind!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Regards for this marvellous post, I am glad I observed this web site on yahoo.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hey! Simply wanted to leave a comment. I really enjoyed reading this article. Maintain the awesome effort.

    ReplyDelete
  15. You completed several good points there. Used to do searching for the issue and found virtually all people is going in addition to together with your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a lovely day for a 358099! SCK was here

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a lovely day for a 392642! SCK was here

    ReplyDelete
  18. Woh I your articles , saved to favorites ! .

    ReplyDelete