When a person dies in a publicly broadcasted news item relayed on national television it is seldom that after his demise his soul is laid to rest in peace. In todays day and age of aggressive mass media, cut-throat fight to deliver the best, hot selling (dont care about true) news, new ways of getting your content delivered to the public helps a lot. The best example is Blogs. Technology may have changed but ethics have gone down-hill. Its just become as easy as type and push and you have your piece of written bit available to the public eye in a matter of microseconds. Talking about ethics, a recent shocking and ethically appalling news came into light recently.
The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and 4 other crew members including a Pilot and Co-pilot were killed when the helicopter carrying them from Hyderabad to Chittoor crashed in bad weather in Nallamalla forests in Kurnool district on Wednesday (2nd September) morning. The charred bodies and the wreckage of the chopper were found the next morning after a massive search operation. There were several questions raised after this tragedy. Like,
- Why did the Chopper take off in bad weather?
- Was the Helicopter airworthy?Why did the Emergency Locator Transmitter(ELT) not get activated upon crash?
- Why is the communication framework in India still so poor that many parts of our country are inaccessible and have no means of communication
But probably the most bizarre and shocking question raised by a journalist put serious question on the credibility of Journalism and Journalism ethics. Vikram Sharma of expressbuzz.com (Part of Indian Express group) has written a blog entry asking if the Pilot was in a peaceful mental condition. Baseless and written in poor taste this article raises a finger on a highly qualified Pilot who has served in the Indian Air Force for 25years. He has commanded a squadron under high pressure situations and has over 7000hours of flying experience under his belt. The 2nd of September was just an unlucky day for him and others on board. Its a risky job and daredevils like Gp Capt. SK Bhatia face this challenge everyday as a routine. Writing such thoughtless and surreal articles without having concrete proof and accusing such a great personality is something the Journalist and his organization should be ashamed of. Have some compassion for what the families of the departed are going through. I do not say, burry the matter. Enquire, ask questions , demand to know the truth – but do all this before pointing fingers and accusing a professional of amateurism. Forcing his Son to come and defend his father is not something the Indian Express should be responsible for. Have some sanctity for the departed and not cloud his character by cheap publicity.
Excellent! i love this!…We’re here for you dude…we shall defend the truth forever!
Good! Very Good! i totally agree with whats written. and yes we will defend the truth..forever!!
aman, its great u wrote this. this is exactly what a lot of people like me feel at the moment. my heart sank when i read the report by vikram sharma. felt disgusted at how someone could rite such a thing wen he himself knows its not the truth. its not just about journalism ethics..but basic human compassion. a person died in a tragic accident, and after sucha tragic loss..the family has to deal with such reports. the journalist should be ashamed of this and should apologise to the family.
it’s so wonderful to read this after having read that disgusting blog by that journalist. he shouldn’t call himself one after having written that. this article is very well written … it will strike the indian express people that truth comes before any speculation of this sort.
well written….and I agree with you. its important to let the dead depart with respect rather than raising baseless allegations