Indian Writing

Some TV cameramen in Gaya apparently encouraged a man to set himself on fire. It is alleged that one cameraman soaked the man’s towel in diesel and coaxed him to light it up assuring him that it would be put out after they recorded the pictures.

TV pictures clearly showed that Mishra failed in his first bid to set himself on fire. He succeeded in his second attempt. His 14-year-old son Prabhakar said as he waited to claim his father’s body: ‘‘The media present there did not save my father.’’

Frequent sting operations and graphic news presentations are seen as having contributed to its success. But critics say news programmes often degenerate into shocking reality television-type shows.

Recently, a news channel showed the wife of a teacher in Bihar beating up a girl, who the reporter said was having an affair with her husband.

A channel also showed a man being beaten to death by a group for allegedly stealing a buffalo in northern India.

The latest debate on media ethics though is a little more complex. It’s been sparked off by a news story that showed a man self-immolating in the heart of Patiala. The visual images were compelling: a trader with garlands around his neck, pouring kerosene over his body, and then set himself aflame. He was surrounded by a police man, fellow-traders, the aam janta and of course, the ubiquitous camera….