The 6 year old boy “Prince” who was trapped in a 53 feet deep 1.5 feet wide shaft and was rescued after a two days of ordeal, by the India Army. A great rescue accomplished, and a salute to everyone involved in the rescue mission.
After all this I have one little problem, and it has nothing to do with the approach taken in the rescue effort. My problem is with The Great Indian 24×7 News Channels and especially the ones that fall in the Hindi News category and the one channel that stands out in the whole episode is Star News. It’s the approach taken by the media that bothed me.
Agreed to the fact that the media attention expedited the rescue of the boy, even the army experts were called in to help. Very good till here, but they all went way beyond it. Showing an update on the boys condition every hour would have been fine, but why the heck do u need to dedicate the whole airtime to this incident. What’s more; other important stories like the Israel Offensive in Lebanon is just given just 5 minutes (this includes all other stories of the day too) and all the other time was spent interviewing anyone to everyone from the village where this incident happened.
As if this wasn’t enough they started a SMS campaign wanting all the viewers to send SMSs with their prayers for the boy and blah blah stuff. The only thing that went on was “Send us your Prayers (via SMS) and we will show them and that is what will save him.” What the heck? Is the rescue team going to save him or the sent SMSs.
What was more disturbing than this was the public reaction! Not jus that people were sending SMSs, but even organized public prayers and the news channels were there too, even beaming it live.
Finally the moment arrived when the boy was finally out and his ordeal over. So now here’s what came next, “Prince has been rescued. It was you prayers and SMSs that have helped the boy in this ordeal.” WHAT!!! Where did that kid have access to all this stuff, it was the rescuers who saved him and not these SMSs. All the SMSs have done is make the telecom companies and news channels a bit more richer.OH and now they want us to send them SMSs to congratulate the Rescue team, so that they can make more money!!!What happened to good old news reporting that didn’t need sensationalize everything?The Whole Rescue Incident.
6 responses to “Prince Rescued. What big deal!!!”
I wholeheartedly agree with you. Yet another example of Indian Media getting its priorities wrong. Channels like ZEE News and Star news makes me really sick.
Whats more astonishing is the government!! Haryana gov announced a grant of 2 lakh rupee while PM sent his best wishes!
And well, the international media is also not far behind.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5207290.stm
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060723-125014-7564r
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19889329-1702,00.html
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19889605-38197,00.html
etc
I don’t mind them covering the story. Its the Indian Media’s Obssession with the whole thing that has bothered me. And also the International Media is forced to put this news because our News Channels showed it to us nothing else but this drama for 48 hrs!!!
If you read the BBC has in a very subtel way critsized the News Channels for its coverage.
WTF is wrong with Indian Media? Are you telling me that no one else has ever been stuck in a shaft before. OH omg.. he’s stuck.. we need help… call the national guards… call Red cross… give him unhealthy food all the time.. GOD DAMN IT whats wrong with them.
I completely agree with u . It is not good to only keep showing the same dammmm thing again and again
Its ok showing for half an hour or one or somewhat after evry 2hrs and not for a long 48 hrs!!!!!
Media should not concentrate on these thing it should also show all the other headlines.
Its nice that someone has protested against this act.
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And I dont understand one thing..
Paying the boy 2 lakhs for surviving the ordeal?
Alright, it is very difficult to survive something like that for a small kid,
But 2 Lakhs????
One wonders even if the mumbai blast victims were paid something like that..
Next, why dont we make him a national icon and ask Ram Gopal Varma to make a film on the boy and his “horrifying” experiences?
Or perhaps Alfred Hitchcock with something like 53 feet beneath?
Oh! I am gonna go maaaaaad