The Indian media's reporting on Babri masjid, 26/11 etc

It is 17 years since the Babri Masjid incident, the Indian media seems to be very excitedly marking the anniversary, so I thought let me also add to the "party"!

I was very young when it happened, I didnt know anything about the rioting, I just remember school used to remain closed on several days, it was fun for us, though mom must have been very worried about dad travelling in the city buses...

I dont know why our press/media love the Babri Masjid issue! They literally rake up the embers and make sure that the problem doesnt die down! It is shocking, they force lines into people's mouths!

Our media is here to remind us every year, that we need to fight over something!

If we as a people want to move on, we have to stop unnecessary discussions. The judiciary should be allowed to take its course, the relevant parties to the conflict (made up of hardliners, mediators, et al) anyway keep busy about it... But why does our media overdo the coverage, "creating" news in the pursuit of covering it!!

Its almost as if they want something to go wrong on that day, so that they can have things to cover! Its so sad!

Responsible journalism is almost absent, it is their duty to throw light on problems that need to be looked into, but here, they are delighted to create further problems, and blow up existing problems out of proportion! It is not like they are covering anything new, and it is not like there are no other pressing problems that are newsworthy, like the face-off between the Government & maoists.

I actually saw NDTV flashing something like, "Police keeping an eye on problem man Kalyan Singh". But when I watched the interview, I noticed that the interviewer asked the police if they expect trouble from Kalyan Singh, and the police said that they didn't receive any information on his wanting/not wanting to visit Ayodhya, they will act accordingly... So the news flash reads something like, "Police expecting trouble from Kalyan Singh"...

Now that is a case of 'creating' news by putting words into the mouth of the police...

It is sick, they are itching to unearth conflict, and ready to create a non-existent conflict, it almost borders on "celebrating" the anniversary...

I felt the same thing about how 26/11 Mumbai attack was marked, so much coverage, so much PR, such elaborate extravagant display, so much business, almost bordered on "celebration"...

The nail in the coffin would be if the media explicitly gave a vote of thanks, "Thank you Ajmal Kasab for giving us this opportunity, Thanks to Ajmal Kasab without whose effort, this event wouldn't have been taking place"....

Sick....

In a way, I am like them, even I am writing on Babri "anniversary", but I am not 'celebrating' and I am actually criticizing their zeal...

What really takes the cake is the blame game! Blame some politician, instead of facing reality... Blame a bunch of politicians, coolly ignoring the millions of people who make up the conflict... A handful of politicians cant create so much problem, we should have the guts to accept that there is a problem in society, and address the root cause, instead of pursuing the ostrich policy of thinking that all Indian citizens are good boys & good girls, and that a handful of politicians did it all! Duh!!!! This is a vestige of colonial mentality in the colonies... Back then, during any crisis, we blamed the Colonial Government & its officers... Now, we blame our own elected Government & our own elected leaders.