|
You are having your dinner and watching News.
Suddenly without any warning you see pictures of mutilated
and decomposed bodies of Border Security Force personnel killed
by Bangladesh Rifles.
Your reaction - change the channel, switch off
the TV or don't see the visuals. But have your ever thought
if the soldier's family members were seeing the Broadcast
- What would they do? As a Television Journalist, one is motivated
to get the best pictures and he covers elements, which would
even hurt his sensibilities.
But the question is should he show it? In the
above case of the BSF soldiers two channels had the footage
of the bodies; One channel decided to show it as it was i.e
pictures that were - to say the least horrific. The other
channel showed only the coffins and did not show the bodies.
The channel that showed the pictures would say
that we are showing the reality as it, is seen by the journalist.
Whereas the other channel did what is taught in TV journalism
schools. i.e do not show the pictures that hurt your sensibilities
Or perhaps stop short of showing them.
Situations like this are faced daily by the
journalist. If it is bodies in one case, it could be excessive
violence and blood in another. Shots of accidents, a man being
killed on Camera, a mother crying over her dead son, a man
burning or half burnt by rioters, a decapitated body of a
man, the head being carried by another - these are the kinds
of pictures that immediately hits one very hard.
Yes, these are real happenings and as a journalist
we do have the responsibility to show the truth. But think
of it, a common man would not find himself in such a situation
often, neither would he want to find himself in one. We take
these very images into his drawing room and make him feel
miserable.
It's believed that one of our (Indian) well-known
journalist and anchor died of brain haemorrhage because he
couldn't withstand the raw footage of an accident. If this
can happen to a trained and hardened journalist, have pity
on the common man who is not used to it. I feel we should
stick to the rules taught in schools and not hurt the sensibilities.
You may have got the "best picture" but for
the sake of others don't show it.
|
