Media Outrage …. Truth is the Casualty

On 29th August 2017, Mumbai had a deluge. In just about 3 hours, most parts of the city had 300 mm (12 inch) of rainfall. Even for a city which is accustomed to heavy rainfall and a number of days of 100 mm+ rains, this was quite unprecedented. The storm water drainage system of the city is equipped to handle about 25 mm of rainfall in an hour, but this deluge meant that the system was completely overwhelmed, and the result was water logging in most areas.

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC) is an organisation which is riddled with corruption and the worst work culture. The shortcomings are evident and a systematic change is needed at the earliest, and as of yesterday. It is nobody’s case that as a people, we Indian’s have a serious lack of civic sense, but the BMC is more responsible for the mess with its antiquated structure and laws.

On 29th August, a Senior doctor, Dr. Amarapurkar , in a most unfortunate incident, literally vanished, while walking in a water logged street. The next day his body was found and it was evident that he had been washed away in an open manhole, a short distance from his house.

And that is when the Media circus started. Without ascertaining the facts or waiting for an enquiry, the media, especially the TV news channels went berserk fuelling a furore and anger against the BMC and other authorities. The “celebrity” guests on these channels went even beyond that. A justifiable criticism of the BMC was washed away in rhetoric and hyperbole, and went on to touch the #SwachBharat movement. For days on end, the outrage continued, becoming shriller every day.

The BMC defense that it never opened a Manhole when it was waterlogged, and if a manhole was opened then it was clearly marked and a BMC employee was always stationed at it, was declared a falsehood and an afterthought. The narrative was, how can anyone believe the BMC in anything? The BMC had declared an enquiry on the incident, but was damned as a time wasting technique to save their employees and themselves.

As is usual with the media outrage nowadays, it vanished off the screens, to make way for other outrages. A PIL was filed in the Mumbai High court, by a Trader’s association seeking a Police case of negligence against the municipal commissioner and compensation of 50 lacs

Meanwhile, the enquiry was conducted. CCTV footage was found, Eye-witnesses were interviewed, and the staff was questioned.

The enquiry found that a group of locals had illegally opened the manhole cover, which resulted in the unfortunate incident of Dr. Amarapurkar’s death. This was ascertained through the CCTV footage which was available and through the statements of Eye-witnesses. The culprits were identified. All of them belonged to a nearby chawl. Of the identified 6, 5 were arrested and one is still not traced. This group of locals had opened several manholes in the area, all of them chained, which was waterlogged. It is only good luck that prevented more tragedies from occurring.

After this report was published, the media has had a stroke of amnesia. They seem to have forgotten about the incident completely and moved on, as have those shouting, fulminating ‘celebrity” guests. Not even a token gesture of setting the record straight has been resorted to.

What about the Organization of traders which filed the PIL? The president of that organisation had this to say: Even if some locals opened the manhole cover, the BMC’s area in-charge should have ensured that it was put back!!! Heads or Tails, I win!

What this incident highlights is that we as citizens lack civic sense, are shameless for that and are ready to blame everyone else but ourselves, even for illegal work done by ourselves

As for the media, for them Outrage is heaven, Gets them more TRP, and enables them to continue tirades rather than searching out for real news. TV news has morphed into entertainment of outraged people for outraged people by outraged people. And, unfortunately, the viewer seems to be lapping this bastardisation of news. Truth does not matter, entertaining outrage does. The more the anger, fulminations, frothing mouths in a “debate”, more its viewership

Is this the future of news broadcasting and publishing in the country? In our country, where People take the News as truth, this trend is frightening and very dangerous. A tragedy of enormous proportions is waiting to happen, if this continues.

And as I always warn: never believe the media or its news, unless verified and re-verified. Truth and media are no longer a given.