Lessons that Delhi journalists can learn from local media at Muzaffarpur -Umesh Kumar Ray

-Newslaundry.com

There were those who milked the AES outbreak for TRPs. And there were those who helped out while carrying out their journalistic duties.

Even as Bihar mourns the deaths of over 150 children owing to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), a section of the media milked the grave situation to boost TRPs. Some journalists irresponsibly barged into the ICUs of one of the hospitals treating most of the children for live reporting. There were also journalists from the language media, local channels and publications asking the right questions and helping the afflicted children reach hospitals.

The contrasting examples clearly serve as a testament to the dichotomy of media reportage.

On June 15, a video of TV9 Consulting Editor Ajit Anjum went viral. This video showed him reporting live from the ICU of Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH). Anjum was seen questioning and chiding a doctor, who was busy treating children.

Two days later, another Delhi-based anchor, Anjana Om Kashyap, did a report from the ICU of SKMCH. Like Anjum, she spoke loudly and grilled a busy doctor. She also interviewed a relative of an unwell child. Before the live reporting of these two anchors from the ICU, a Republic Bharat journalist had also done a piece to camera from the ICU.

Please click here to read more.