Noida has been in the news for all the wrong reasons these days. After Nithari its the time for Jal Vayu Vihar (incidentally, Jal Vayu Vihar is in the vicinity of Nithari!) The murder of 14 year old Arushi Talwar, and Yam Prasad Banjade ( alias Hemraj) has rocked the nation. 'National' media seems to have gone into a frenzy. There is no doubt that this double murder is a crime of the most heinous nature, but its high time to analyse the frenzy that it has created.
This double murder has held the attention of the 'entire' nation thanks to vigilant reporting by 24X7 news channels and the multitude of newspapers. But the point in case is, why has this murder case been given so much attention? The answer probably lies in the economics of news dispersion.
The rise of the news industry is intricately linked to the astonishing growth story of the bourgeoisie in India. India's growth story has been fueled by the rise in consumption, and the middle class plays a significant role in that. On the other hand, the burgeoning news industry runs on ad-spot revenues. And yes, it is the middle class that buys the products advertised on television/papers. Thus, the middle class is, inevitably, the target audience of the News/Media Industry.
So where does the Noida double murder case fit into this jigsaw?
The murders have been in the spotlight because it features a family that is so typically 'middle class'. The murdered girl is one of 'our' kin. She could have 'our' own sister, daughter, friend. And this is why emotions get whipped, and the 'entire' nation (its a different matter that this 'entire' nation is only 35 crore strong)identifies with the victim and the victimised.
Murders have been rampant in the Hindi Heartland. The villages of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madyha Pradesh witness,at least, one murder every single day. But why is the 'nation' unaware about them? Because the victim, 8 out of 10 times, is from the backward classes...is a Dalit...
'(S)he is not one of us'
And if the victim is not one of our kin it does not make economic sense for our mercenary media to devote precious airtime/newsprint to the crime. Because, they would not find viewers for such news, and without high TRPs/TAMs, Corporate India won't pay Crores for a 10 second spot on television or an inch in print.
This is not an attempt to vilify the media, or to reduce the significance of the crime committed in Noida. Rather its a reflection on the workings of an industry that claims high moral ground and proclaims to be the lone warrior against the evils of the society.
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We probably need to go deeper into the issue by analysing the composition and growth of the bourgeoisie in India, especially in the fast growing urban India. The growth of the media is almost directly related to the “disbelief” (read not wanting to believe) factor amongst the middle-class.
The media today targets the middle-class when deciding on its marketing policy. The Times of India has recently launched editions from Jaipur, Chennai and Goa only because the urbanisation has spread to the smaller towns triggering a growth of middle-class educated families whose staple diet was, till recently, the Hindi newspaper. Times is now planning editions from NCR cities like Noida and Gurgaon, the newest urban centres.
The immediate response to an English newspaper is entwined with emphasis and perpetuated “impression” of credibility and few challenge it at the intellectual level. The new consumer, therefore, is given the product with a heavy dose of “credibility” factor.
The television channels, on the other hand, enjoy an audience in most of the “colonies” in Urban India.
The English news channels are viewed in the “urbanised” belts while the Hindi news channels are, to a large extent, viewed in Hindi speaking belts within the same urban structure.
The response, however, is triggered by the middle class concerns and interest just as the newspapers’ response has been.
The composition of this newly developing bourgeoisie is predominantly the upper castes and some “pockets” of OBCs. Gurgaon and Noida, for example, consume English newspapers only in the “urbanised” belts and not in the urbanised villages or the rural villages. The lower bureaucracy prefers the established Hindi newspapers while evening newspapers enjoy an audience in the urbanised villages and rural areas.
The entry into this urban life is, again, with an emphasis on credibility and “has to adopted” to be a responsible citizen.
“You have to be in the system to know the system”? – You have to “believe” in the system to actually be a part of it.
So the emerging “middle” class adopts the new life, new values, which are already close to the core values “practiced” amongst the upper castes.
The existence of separate “pockets” of OBCs shows a divide (between the Jats and Sikhs, between the Hindus and Muslims, between the Gurjjars and others, between the Bengalis and others, etc.) The distinctness is visible and apparent but two-three generations of Delhi University educated students has created a large-scale audience for the English newspapers here too.
Appropriation has slowly set in and hence the expansion plans of the news papers.
MEDIA AND THE COVERAGE
The Hindu enjoys credibility of the highest degree, which is unquestionable, and The Times of India and Hindustan Times are considered flexible but ‘credible’.
They are all led by the middle-class bourgeoisie from different strata of the middle class, which is almost totally dominated by the upper caste.
So the concerns are that of the upper caste and not the upper class. Arushi becomes a part of “us” not because of the class that you talk of – the dangerous trend is that the upper castes have started dominating the policy decisions at the intellectual level in every level of bureaucracy and in every private organisation.
The values and anxieties that are expressed as “disbelief” and result in such air-time and space allotted to this case is nothing but an expression that someone from us “CAN”T DO IT”.
The high moral ground is of the upper caste, and not the upper class. So The Hindu rakes up the issue of “honour of the victim” while Tehelka calls Yam Prasad Banjade a maoist from Nepal.
The Mail Today and Metro Now come out in support of Rajesh Talwar with a look on his “character” in detail while The Times of India and HT question the Noida police’s credibility. The Indian Express has done some sad stories questioning the Noida doctors’ credentials but largely worked against Rajesh Talwar (I’d rather call it the truth – but it is a hard battle since it is again dominated by the upper castes).
The CBI, an essential part of the coterie of top bosses belonging to the same group of intellectuals, is watching the media turn the case for them and they will then act as a “force” that takes the moral high ground when it comes to investigations.
Can the credentials of Investigating Officer Arun Kumar be questioned when he has the history of having turned the Rizwanur case of Kolkata on its head, fought an impossible case to save Pandher, and succeeded to some extent, (there is a long list)?
Does he have the credentials to prove that he is a better investigator than the best police officers from four-five states of the country?
The answer is a big ‘no’ and the caste system is to be blamed again. The bourgeoisie is the caste here, not the class.
Confining oneself to just the “oppressed dalits” factor is nothing but foolish; you are buying the ideas of the pseudo intellectuals.
You have hit the nail bang on the head. There is no doubt that the upper caste 'dominates' the Media, irrespective of the language. (I can vouch for this, as I work for a Hindi channel, have been fed on the English Media, and being Bengali I do have some knowledge of the Bengali language press too). This is indeed a sad state of affairs, is regrettable but is a truth staring us in the face.
And this is true not only of the media, but also for Corporate and Political India. Thereby you can judge its an unholy nexus between all the three estates of 'modern' India.
I used 'class' and not 'caste' because in India, the two are necessarily the same. Even the Supreme Court in one of its judgment proclaimed that Caste is Class. The situation is complex and would continue to remain so. The upper castes, due to their dominance on the economic and epistemological modes of production , have produced an imminent reality which si often perceived to be the truth. And this is what you mean (I think so) when you talk about the 'credibility' factor of the English language media.
I say that this inequality would continue to perpetuate itself because the tools of social empowerment are very economic in nature. The State devises reservations as a form of social empowerment through economic means...reservations in IITs, IIMs would lead to better jobs, thus, better pay, and eventually it will produce equality. However, what the State tends to forget that while the class ladder can be transcended, the caste ladder can not be. And this is most conspicuous in nuptial matters. Thus the State produces a state of Carnival, where freedom/equality is enjoyed within the boundaries defined by the dominant class/caste.
So does this mean we should scrap Reservations?
Absolutely not. No matter how flawed it is the 'only' available instrument for the underprivileged classes/castes to assert themselves to a certain degree. However, its is just one of many available tools for social empowerment, and should be complemented by the others.
So, coming back to the murder, and the media...This case has elicited so many responses, although most of them are coloured with the same brush, because of the association of the caste/class involved in the 'business' of dispersion of information.
Can the media influence the outcome?
That's for the reader to judge! I think the preceding lines have left enough clues for you to figure out the answer!
The former will happen irrespective of any thing, reporting crime is one of the main 'duties' of any news organisation. However, sensible creatures have a problem with the later role of the media. Television news in India is still evolving, it is at an experimental stage -- where news editors do not know the different between 'news' and 'bullshit'! All in the name of public demand.
Coming to Arushi's case, I was not suprised by the way... the news channels made a mockery out of the whole thing. How can you declare someone guilty without Court’s verdict?! If I was one of the victims, I would have sued the channels for defamation.
Now you point of bourgeoisie media. Well because you and I live in Metros and watch only NDTV, CNN IBN or the other urban channels. These channels cater to the urban public. They are not bothered about what’s happening in small towns or cities. Please watch the regional news channels like ETV, you will see the difference. I come from Jharkhand (Jai Jharkhand ), I get the news my state only on ETV Jharkhand not NDTV. Same manner, if I need international news like what’s happening in Zimbabwe, I need to watch CNN or BBC. I can’t depend on the channels like NDTV or IBN. Forget about AAJTAK or ZEE News!!!
You touch upon many issues in your comment-namely the role of media, the politics of news production and the what constitutes news. However, you mix up all the three. Crime indeed acts as a fodder for the media ( I am including both the electronic and the print mediums). However, the question in case is- What kind of crime?
Let me recall for you some of the cases from recent memory- Jessica Lal Murder, Priyadarshini Mattoo Case, the Manjunath Murder Case, and the infamous BMW murder. If you look carefully, there is a thread connecting all these cases.
In all these cases either the victim or the victimiser belongs to the upper caste/class.
(S)He is one of us.
Try and look at it this way- when somebody from your own family gets involved in an accident, (s)he becomes the centre of your and your families attention. The other aggrieved party takes a backseat.
This is exactly the case with the Media. The Media is dominated by people from the upper caste/class, and when I say 'Media' I mean the 'national' Media or atleast the channels/newspapers which claim to be so. Ofcourse, there are many newspapers/channels which focus on the underprivileged sections, but then they do not enjoy high circulation and for them it's a struggle for survival.
They struggle to survive, because the economics of news production is so. It is always a loss-making venture. News is not supposed to be business, and when it assumes the form of one, then things become more complicated than they seem.
You talk about the role of the media, and seem to disagree with it playing the judicial role. However, you must realise that the very conception of Media, in India, atleast, is premised on activism. (Recall Mahatma's Young India, Tilak's Mahratta or even the Anand Bazar Patrika).
The question is, whose side does the Media take? And if you have been following this industry, you probably know the answer.
When you talk about reportage, and it being objective, you already are caught in a trap. Reporting can never be objective. Whether its the pen, or the Camera, it's always about the 'angle'. A seemingly neutral statement like 'Israel is a country' is politically loaded and biased. If you agree with this statement you are siding with the US and its allies. If you don't, you are with the Palestinians. So, its not about channels and their scope (CNN-IBN for 'national' news, BBC for International), it's about the bias.