I Think: Thanks to the media, people are more comfortable about reporting crimes
International development professional, Washington D.C
I am originally from Punjab and I came to Washington D.C for my graduate studies in international development.
I won’t say that I am a news person. I am superficially up-to date with current affairs. I get my news from Inshorts, which squeezes daily Indian news into 60 words. Other than that, when I have the time, I read the news that’s displayed on top in Google News and skim through updates from The Hindu.
Before coming to D.C, I lived in Delhi for seven years. As a woman, I have always felt safe and I owe a major part of that to Delhi Metro. I probably felt safe during my time there because I was surrounded by progressive people in South and North Delhi who only cared about men and women being equal. I think we have a staggering number of incidents in the area because it is also the most populated city in the country causing the probability to be higher. Delhi also attracts a large group of migrant workers who may not be educated. I think education plays a big role in creating an equal society and when that is missing, it displaces the balance.
I have actually been quite surprised about the number of rape cases that have recently come to light. I think some of this credit goes to the Indian media — it is proving to be a platform where people are more open and comfortable to report incidents. Other that the fact that the media sometimes does not follow ethical guidelines, they have been doing a good job with getting the news out. They played a big part in following up on the Nirbhaya case. I believe they need to strike a balance and report sensibly and be the true voice of India.
I think Indian media today has become a profitable avenue. It is not just about reporting, but more about money-making. They sensationalize the news to increase their TRPs and attract advertisers. This is certainly not ethical when reporting about rape and sexual assault.
I sometimes feel, ‘okay another rape story’ when I read Indian news. During Tehelka’s peak, you would see that the reporters were more involved in their cases. I am not saying that they should conduct sting operations, but they need to rally the cause of women’s empowerment. Instead of writing op-eds, they should put out longer well-researched articles about the underlying problems.
If I was a journalist in India, I would focus on ‘what should be done’ rather than ‘what is happening’. The media is a great mediator to create this platform. They can invite solutions from the general public and publish them, as everyone — from the Prime Minister to the common man — read newspapers. I believe that we need more representation of all sections of society in news coverage.
