Mumbai Massacre - Al Jazeera take on Indian Media

In The Listening Post, Al Jazeera, 5th December 2008 this week, the massacre in Mumbai and the difference in coverage by the Pakistani and Indian media. Plus, Turkmenistan and the poor state of its media.

If you are not able to view this video or finding an incomplete frame and want to see the full frame visit, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmXBuzcN4EQ A note of warning: The video may not be viewable from a corporate network.

In the few hours that I have watched Al Jazeera English last week, I am convinced that Al Jazeera( too early to declare it is entirely impartial) more professional than the Indian electronic media. No, it is not the official mouthpiece of Al Qaeda. Al Jazeera English is the English language News Channel of is run by the Emir of Qatar and Al Jazeera English is the window to the Middle East for the English speaking world.

Previous Posts by this blogger on Indian media are here and here.

NDTV, CNN-IBN, Times Now Accused of abetting Mumbai Terror Attack

Whether the terrorists are foreigners are not, whether they received local assitance or not is yet to be answered, 24 hour News Channel like NDTV, CNN-IBN, Times Now and Headlines Today are clearly assisting the terrorists.

This morning the news channels beamed live footage of NSG commandos being airdropped on the attacked building. Any terrorist inside the building had the enormous advantage of knowing how many commandos were entering and from which position. This was a very specific example. Right from announcing when NSG forces arrived to the number of security forces, the news channels are doing all, in utmost competitive vigour, that they can to keep updated the terrorists inside the attacked building and their accomplices in the outside world with whom the attackers might have possibly maintained contact telephonic contact. Earlier, they had telecast specific footage of crouching commandos up on the Gateway of India providing additional cover in case the fight spills over to balconies or terraces.

The sheer pressure for eye-balls and rivalry amongst news channels is sabotaging the already fragile national security scene. It took all of 40 hours since the first pictures for the Army to 'request' news channels to not beam live pictures. A more powerful government would have ordered the eviction of reporters out of camera range. Anyways that was request was not particulary followed

News Channels have their utility, during times of Emergency, of sending messages about the hurt, the missing and the stranded. If the government is botching up the operations, sure, the people deserve to know, but not like running commentary .

Even if the capture of the attackers is delayed by as much as a minute on account of the advantage that the news channels give them, the news channels are playing an anti-national, pro-terrorist role ( even during peace time, this writer is of the view that several news anchors play a divisive anti-national role)

Is the government so weak that they cannot control media in times like these ?