Friday, July 25, 2008

The blasts and the blasted TV

13 phone calls, 32 sms and 5 emails later, I know that all the people I was worried about are safe and sound. But the fact that V is still not home (stuck in traffic jam) and I can't reach his mobile at all is freaking me out.

My heart goes out to those caught in it all...9 blasts in a couple of hours. It killed 3 and injured about 15. They can call it low intensity but it is scary, nevertheless.

And I am mad at television channels because they don't seem to get the facts right. All the English channels didn't even get the names of the places right till 3 hours after...Audugidi & Sarjipura for Audugodi & Sarjapura. Since most people in Bangalore aren't localites, I have been getting questions about these locations!

The Kannada channel TV9's anchor was worth being lynched with his inane questions. Sample this, he's questioning some eyewitness on phone and he asks "Bangaloreans are not used to such things so how was it to hear the blast?" What the????

Then he also says that the bomb doesn't look like it was made by professionals (HUH???). And goes on to spew his theories...if they were professionals he says, they wouldn't put the bomb near the naala (this is near audugodi) where no one is bound to get injured. I wonder if he worked with the bomb squad before shifting to this glamorous profession of news reading!

Then they went off to Mallya hospital to question one of the guys who got injured. The guy's obviously shaken, he hasn't been bandaged fully yet, he's pressing cotton on to his right arm and there are 3 mikes thrust in his face!

All channels without exception were quite happy to speculate as to who put the bombs there. And all the usual suspects were named. Of course by evening they said this was not an international action but someone local was involved.

I agree there is a need to get the information, but why jump the gun when you have no clear information? And really please can you not think before you speak / ask questions? There are people watching you on live TV and hoping you know your jobs for godsake!

And what's wrong with the aam junta? Minutes after the blast, one would think that they would stay put at homes / offices where it is relatively safer. But there were 100s of people out to see what happened. Curiousity has brought them out, one reporter said. I don't get it.

Then of course the clincher, someone from the centre said, the last 2 blasts (now Bangalore and Jaipur 2 months ago) have happened in BJP led states! Apparently indicating the ineptitude of the party. Nice time to take potshots and the opposition.

I AM SO MAD!

Correction: Only 1 was killed and 8 injured in yesterday's blasts!

4 comments:

I love Lucy said...

Damn.
I was worried sick when I woke this morning and saw the news.Thankfully everyone back home is doing fine.
My mother too was furious about the way the media is making a the whole thing into a circus.Idiots.Where is their common sense?

Abhipraya said...

ILL: Tell me about it! Today's Hindu says, that people who were out on the road were less worried than people who watched 24 hour news channels.

Kannan said...

Channel induced paranoia is something we will have to live with. It is so bad in Mumbai that the state this time came out with an order that those showing old flood footage as 'Live' will be fined. Something similar need to be done across India.
After the Ahd blasts, CNN IBN was screaming about blue ball bearings that were used in the bombs. Some clue give by a girl to the investigating agencies.
But the height of stupidity was Star News. They found out one of the owners of a damaged cycle, found out the original owner and interviewed them. Then they went to the police station to show us the damaged cycle.
I am practising the art of saying my profession under my breath, somewhat silmilar to Aswathama Hata Kunjara

Abhipraya said...

Oh tell me about it! I especially wish I could hide the fact that I worked for a certain news channel from my resume. I cringe everytime I have to mention it. But no escaping it.

When I meet people for the first time depending on the occasion I don't bring up my profession at all.