The Jessica Lal case: Murder, lies and the people's media
The secret of successful journalism is to make your readers so angry they will write half your paper for you. ~ C.E.M. Joad
The verdict in the Jessica Lal case has seen unprecedented public outcry against what is believed to be an absolute hijacking of the law and judicial system of the country. In my view, what has led to this kind of a unanimous mobilization of emotions is not just the nature of the case  something which is not necessarily a first in our country, but the role the various media has played in fuelling emotions.
Not only do we have a plethora of news channels flashing images of shock - leading to further reaction, but one cannot overlook the role of the boundary-less and all-encompassing medium that makes the world flat - the internet. No other medium, has, prior to this enabled the Indian youth a platform so easy to voice an opinion. The interactive, immediate, and no-boundary nature of the web has helped give the phrase 'word-of-mouth' a new implication.
Passionate, raw reactions are plastered all over cyber space, in the form of blogs and reactions to news stories - unfurling a further cycle of opinions. Where on one hand you had blogs springing up in support of Jessica Lal, on the other, you had vitriolic comments splashed not only on the accused, but the perceived treachery of the hostile witness, Shayan Munshi.
NDTV recieved over 200,000 SMSs in support of the re-trial of the case, which was taken in the form of a petition to the President. Requisitions to sign up for the March 4th Protest March were sent out over the internet and through SMSs.
Truly, the byte is proving to be mightier than the gun !
The verdict in the Jessica Lal case has seen unprecedented public outcry against what is believed to be an absolute hijacking of the law and judicial system of the country. In my view, what has led to this kind of a unanimous mobilization of emotions is not just the nature of the case  something which is not necessarily a first in our country, but the role the various media has played in fuelling emotions.
Not only do we have a plethora of news channels flashing images of shock - leading to further reaction, but one cannot overlook the role of the boundary-less and all-encompassing medium that makes the world flat - the internet. No other medium, has, prior to this enabled the Indian youth a platform so easy to voice an opinion. The interactive, immediate, and no-boundary nature of the web has helped give the phrase 'word-of-mouth' a new implication.
Passionate, raw reactions are plastered all over cyber space, in the form of blogs and reactions to news stories - unfurling a further cycle of opinions. Where on one hand you had blogs springing up in support of Jessica Lal, on the other, you had vitriolic comments splashed not only on the accused, but the perceived treachery of the hostile witness, Shayan Munshi.
NDTV recieved over 200,000 SMSs in support of the re-trial of the case, which was taken in the form of a petition to the President. Requisitions to sign up for the March 4th Protest March were sent out over the internet and through SMSs.
Truly, the byte is proving to be mightier than the gun !
posted by Chandni Dendukuri at 6:46 PM
1 Comments:
Absolutely agree. For once, the media is doing something meaningful rather than indulging in pure sensationalism. NDTV's SMS campaign to petition the president for justice is a case in point. Even though the cynic media professional in me thinks that there is obviously an ulterior motive (of being on the side of justice, and doing something on such issues etc), but it is contributing to the bigger cause. So, why should we begrudge a few TRPs to NDTV!
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