Date:01/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/01/stories/2008120155560802.htm

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Media coverage

The live coverage of the tragedy on television was chaotic. It was evident that the news channels were competing among themselves with each one of them claiming that “we are the first to have this news or enter the area.” The media should behave in a way that helps those who are performing their duty. But what we witnessed in the last three days was a situation in which the security personnel were required to tackle the media. The Indian media have a lot to learn from their western counterparts.

Vijay Balakrishnan,

Chennai

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The events of last week have thrown up a humongous demand for leadership in not only the political sphere but also the media. For more than two days, we were witness to one-upmanship, with the television channels making claims such as “our reporter was the first ...”, “these are exclusive pictures ...,” and so on.

R. Swarnalatha,

New Delhi

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The intense media coverage of the Mumbai attack has ensured that every citizen has put security on top of his or her agenda. In the 20 years of the Kashmir conflict, the western media fleetingly referred to incidents of terror. In Mumbai, with foreign nationals coming under attack, the western electronic media covered the episode 24x7. And for once, the political class in India was isolated.

Rajaram Santhanam,

Mumbai

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The role of the visual media in celebrating the tragedy with second-by-second accounts would have surely helped the perpetrators and their handlers to a great extent. The news of the captured terrorist should not have been leaked to the media.

Raghu Varma,

Pandalam