The law of the land provides for a fair trial even to known offenders, irrespective of the magnitude of their crimes. if these criminals shown a genuine inclination to reform, the law provides for grant of amnesty and even pardon at the discretion of the President. But this rather charitable disposition of the law should not be mistaken as a retrospective sanction or acceptance of their criminal misdemeanours. If those brigands, dacoits and criminals of the land fall prey to such illusions and start preaching from roof tops or say in private TV channels, then democracy comes under severe strain. And when the media, a pillar of the democracy, begins pampering to such tendencies, the question arises as to who is more culpable; the brigand or the media?
The episodes of forest brigand Veerappan’s interview and more specifically yesterday’s has raised quite a few doubts about the role of media with special focus on its ethical standpoint. No doubt the people’s right to know is supreme. But the law does insist on certain checks and balances, by way of libel and defamation, with a view to avoiding a free-for-all. But in India, that is Bharat, these laws take their own sweet long course, by which time offenders do get away after having completed to perfection their job of mudslinging, and slander. And when the long arm of law does catchup with them the damage is already done.
Can the media, the unofficial Fourth Estate and so-called custodians of people’s right to know take the role of a court to conduct trial and deliver justice, and if so what would be the quality of that justice? We had a taste of it yesterday, when a private TV channel and Vernacular Magazine joined hands to do just that. Of course it is a crude joke that the media was able to track down and do an elaborate interview of the brigand when police and several task forces are unable to even come within a mile of him.
Press freedom entitles them to keep their methods a secret, but were they really doing the cause of the nation a service by airing the ‘views’ and ‘opinions’ of a man who has to his credit almost every crime in the law book? I for one don’t think so. What is being paraded and dished out for public consumption under the garb of people’s right to know and media’s duty to inform is so sickening and repulsive. Of course the very wisdom of interviewing Veerappan is quite suspect. The statutory warning that ‘his views are not their views’, by the media concerned is plain humbug and hypocrisy. What else did they expect Veerappan to talk? The whole show undoubtedly is stage-managed and the timing very sinister.
To go back to the basics, man the political animal is supposed to have 6 senses, with the sixth sense being the only point of distinction between the man and the animal. It gets refined by education and experience. The path of civilisation has always been one towards a point where knowledge gets the better of one’s animal instincts. Basic qualities of primitive man and modern man are the same. The endless fight for food, the acquisitive instincts and avarice are very much a part of present-day men as it was in Adam and Eve. But man has now learnt to conceal his animal senses and adopt certain nice ties in public life and utterances. An unwritten code of conduct guides decent men in what they say and what they do. And that is the hallmark of a civilised society. By these standards what is being put on show for public viewing and listening is, to put it bluntly, most uncivilised.
It would be no exaggeration to say that the programme caters only to the animal instincts of the viewers and is an unashamed assault on decency and sanity. Certain vulgar references to people close to the PM and the CM made by the brigand amidst chuckling and laughter by his band including the interviewer were to say the least absolutely nauseating. Of course we are not supposed to blame the honourable sandalwood smuggler for airing ‘his’ views as he has only obliged a friendly media. And brigands being what they are, nothing else can be expected of them. Our only question is that, whether the private channel and the sponsoring magazine are justified in presenting certain utterances of Veerappan unedited which, clearly, were on the wrong side of professional ethics as well as decency? Or were they edited to suit the convenience of certain vested interests? Veerappan, by his own admission, has seen and outlived in public life many Chief Ministers and the ‘honest’ man that he is, in all fairness should have made references to other Chief Ministers also. We are at a loss to know whether it was Veerappan who was selective or the media. Of course it may be sheer coincidence or a mere slip, yet quite conspicuous considering who the concerned media’s bosses are.
When opportunity knocks and common sense says we must open the door, no matter whether it is the front or the back. And Veerappan has grabbed his chance and used it to full advantage. His narration of his daring escapades and his descriptions of the various events that were part of his turbulent ‘career’ gave a rare insight into the lives and times of a much ‘sought after’ personality. The people of the nation are now happily aware that the honourable smuggler would also like to have a go at politics to ‘cleanse the system’, which is possible If the police are as cooperative as the media. And to top it all the freedom of the press reached its zenith when the brigand made a clarion call to all the terrorists of the world to single handedly and unitedly fight corrupt politicians and shoot them down when deemed fit! Of course, this statement by the brigand and the unedited airing of the same are not to be construed as anti-national! The media concerned was after all beaming only ‘his views’ which are not necessarily ‘their views’. So much for the law of the land! For yesterday’s episode makes one wonder how it survived the test of law.
The ominous portents of such media escapades are quite evident. The contempt for politicians is universal, politics being what it is world over. But one must realise that politicians are not born as a class or caste. They came from the people and are nurtured by the people. People’s right to vote is the Damocles sword that may appear blurted but is still very potent.
Such programmes, which are in every sense provocative run the danger of driving the gullible into the hands of habitual offenders who parade themselves as messiahs, albeit temporarily. The people’s disillusionment with politicians is exploited under the pretext of informing them. And if law-breakers turn lawmakers, needless to say, bullets are bound to replace ballots! For when Bandit Queen and Bandit Kings rule the roost, democracy, decency and decorum are the casualties.
The media has to know its bearings, must understand that modern law does not respect Robin Hoods. Any attempt by them to glorify criminals and present their point of view in favourable light will pull them down from the pedestal of public watch dogs. If the present trend continues, it would not be long before criminals of the land turn up in hordes requesting ‘favourable coverage’ for their side of the story: which invariably is the darker side. One is inclined to believe that in future, call for freedom of the press will soon be replaced by a more vociferous call for freedom from the press!
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