‘Digital coverage makes it more likely for people to be heard by those in power’
Bharat Nayak, founder member and editorial director of The Logical Indian
Helping people get justice when official systems have failed them is the driving force behind his journalism, says Bharat Nayak, the Bangalore-based editorial director of The Logical Indian, a digital media platform that has amassed a wide audience — it has almost 6 million followers on Facebook — for its opinionated, citizen-focused and activist style of reporting.
In an online interview with NewsTracker, Nayak shared his views on sexual violence, the death penalty and rape reportage in the context of digital media. The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Is the digital news media’s coverage of rape and sexual violence different from that of traditional media? How?
Often, stories of rape are initially covered by print media and local channels in places where digital hasn’t reached yet. In fact, most of the digital media reports that you see have been covered locally first. Digital media platforms do not have a lot of employees, stringers or reporters.
However, digital media coverage increases the chances of the voice of the people being heard, via Facebook and Twitter, by those in power because of their presence on social media. If rape has happened and it is being talked about on social media, then it will be talked about everywhere. Digital media has become a bigger voice than traditional media. It can give victims of sexual assault a voice.
DIGITAL MEDIA HAS PICKED UP A LOT OF WOMEN’S ISSUES THAT MAINSTREAM MEDIA HAS NEVER TALKED ABOUT. THE #METOO MOVEMENT DID NOT HAPPEN IN NEWSPAPERS OR ON TELEVISION. IT HAPPENED ON DIGITAL MEDIA.
As resources increase, reporting will improve in digital media. The conversation in digital media is far better than in local print and TV media. No one is calling a misogynist on Facebook Live to give comments on rape, but TV media does that!
Does digital news media have an advantage when it comes to increasing awareness about sexual violence?
On digital media, if there is a conversation on an issue that involves women and if women are not a part of it, they will definitely question you. Digital media has picked up a lot of women’s issues — like menstruation — that mainstream media has never talked about. The #MeToo movement did not happen in newspapers or on television. It happened on digital media.
But digital media has not gone to rural India yet, and it is important that women from rural India get to participate. Right now, the feminism that you are talking about is concentrated in urban India. It needs to go to rural India; we need more reports from there.
How do you select the stories on sexual violence that you cover in The Logical Indian?
Most of the stories that we do are driven by whether they will help someone if justice has not been done. Secondly, if the accused are being protected by powerful people we try to help create pressure on the police to take action.
What kind of information do you look for before publishing a story on rape?
We look at the sources used by the media from which we have got the lead, and also talk to someone on the ground.
What the victim was wearing, her occupation, why she was present at the spot, the time of the day… is this information relevant?
The dress factor is not relevant, but we have to tell readers what happened, where it happened, when it happened. We don’t mention the time in a misogynistic way… “kyu raat ko itne late bahar nikal rahi thi (why was she going out so late at night)?”
Sometimes it may create that impression for readers, though… the time the victim happened to be out.
I don’t think reporters do that, but some politicians do when they see a story getting attention. They question the character of the woman and divert from the real issue at hand. It becomes a headline when a politician makes this kind of statement, but they know they will get away with it because most of their voters are a product of the same kind of (misogynistic) conditioning.
How do you think media’s coverage impacts rape survivors and their families?
Sometimes the coverage can be very irresponsible — when they give out details about the victim — but at other times, it helps in getting justice.
IF RAPE HAS HAPPENED AND IT IS BEING TALKED ABOUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THEN IT WILL BE TALKED ABOUT EVERYWHERE.
[Social media can be problematic]…there was recently an image circulatingof a victim covered in blood. The intention may have been to galvanise the police and judicial machineries into action, but the use of that image must have been traumatic for the whole family.
What is your take on the Kathua rape case, which was picked up by the mainstream media three months after it happened?
There are a lot of rapes in India every day. The Kathua rape case was being covered by the Kashmiri media right from the beginning but the national news picked up the story only when there was a rally featuring BJP leaders in support of the accused, and when a group of lawyers tried to prevent the filing of the chargesheet. That is what created outrage and brought attention to something that happened in Kashmir. The case had a religious and political angle… rape has caste, colour and religion.
What are your views on the death penalty for rapists, in view of the death sentence being upheld in the Nirbhaya case?
I am against the death penalty in all scenarios. The death penalty will not deter crime, especially rape. The death penalty will deter only the reporting of rape by the victim. If the perpetrator is a father, a brother or a cousin, the family will the force the victim to not report the crime. The family would say ki jaan chala jayega (he will lose his life). The rape victim who wants justice will be burdened with the thought that her complaint could result in a death sentence. The family will try to hide the matter.
IS ANYONE INTERESTED IN WORKING FOR A SOCIETY THAT IS SAFER FOR WOMEN? WHAT IS DEATH PENALTY SOLVING? IMPLEMENTATION OF LAW IS MORE HELPFUL THAN PUNISHMENT FOR CRIMES.
We need to answer some other questions — is anyone interested in reducing the crime of rape? They are actually interested in punishing the rape accused. Is anyone interested in knowing why the conviction rate is so low? Is anyone working on a system where the rape victims get more support? After the rape has happened they are not thinking about the victim. Is anyone interested in working for a society that is safer for women? What is death penalty solving? Implementation of law is more helpful than punishment for crimes.
What can the media do to shift our stance on the death penalty?
The media does talk about other solutions, but this does not qualify as sensational news. Also, the media doesn’t want to be seen as being in favour of the rapist by opposing the death penalty. Since social media drives mainstream media in some way now, if a report is done on how death penalty does not help, it will be seen as a show of support for the rapist. That is the kind of narrative we are surrounded by.
