Northeast Nuances
3.3.11 Reporting Violence: Cultural or Ethical Concerns
from Northeast increasingly being perceived as a violence-ridden region, certain strong stereotypes even work against the people of the region. For example one of the most negative and harmful but strong perception that persists among people outside the region is that the girls from Northeast are ‘loose’ and ‘easy’.
According to Sub-editor of a regional English language newspaper organization:
Firstly, many people don’t even know the names of the Northeastern States. They bracket all the States under a common tag “The Northeast”. And to them Northeast symbolizes militancy, unrest, jungles, dog eaters, scantily dressed women, easily available girls whom they term as
“chinkies” and of course a region that hardly contributes to the nation’s economy. Media has been highly responsible for such perception of the “other India”. May be had the content (atleast some part of it), been about the developments, about the multiplicity of cultures that exist in the region, about the nature’s bounty and the simplicity of its people. About development and its strategic importance or at least had the northeast formed a part of the national news every day, maybe then the perceptions of the people would have changed.
Though there is a lesser amount of substantial work done in the area to validate that the perception creation about Northeastern population may be directly or indirectly related to media representations, but certainly media reports have never tried to correct the perceptions or break stereotypes as well. Strong stereotypes that exist in the mind of people may be broadly attributed to media representations. Northeast Indians in general are “stereotyped as loose and immoral” (McDuie-Ra 96) and the region is widely accepted as “politically and culturally insignificant” (94). Thus media mentions of the “backward and exotic” people only while reporting on violence and terrorism as “violent anti-national separatist bent on destroying India” (93/94) that fits the national context. The responses were in confirmation to the derivation from literature available, media representations have been propagating a terror prone image of the state, while many also believe the region to be marginalised in the mainstream media consciousness.
ethically correct and culturally viable while reporting on instances of violence.
Experts like Klite, Lynch, McGoldrick and Schechter have pointed out that the reason why the media consumers are unable to comprehend the complexities of violence and related situations, places and people because ‘most journalists operate without a well- developed ethical framework for covering violence’ (Carter and Weaver 22).
The responses (Figure 3.24) on cultural or ethical concerns of reporting and releasing violence in media may be categorised as below:
Figure 3.24: Responses on Cultural or Ethical Concerns of Reporting Violence in Media
No concerns: 23% of respondents (Figure 3.24) blatantly refuted of having any preconceived cultural and ethical concerns per se regarding media content. There were no elaborate comments given on the subject, but it was found that when it comes to news on violence the primary intention of the media makers is to expose at the earliest so as to gain maximum benefit of the information in the media market.
Authentication of facts: 22% respondents (Figure 3.24) referred to authentication and validation of facts to be one of the major concerns of any media practitioner before publicising any piece of information for its consumers.
According to Editor of a vernacular language newspaper from Assam:
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
No. of Respondents
Reporting violence in media: cultural or ethical concerns - Responses
Responses
Ethical concern is that the report should be non-biased and should have news values without any presumed judgment or personal feelings. Mostly journalists from the region practicing here develop support biases regarding subjects which often get reflected in their journalistic works.
This should be strictly avoided for objectively reporting events for a greater audience.
According to city correspondent of a regional newspaper and also a media faculty:
The cultural or ethical concerns that I may have before releasing a media product is that it finds suitable representation of all the issues and does not simply deliver an opinionated picture while remaining true to its distinct element.
According to Reporter of a regional television news channel:
As a journalist I should know the probable effect of my story, my story should always needs to be unbiased based upon proper facts and figures. Exaggeration should be terminated and facts should be double checked.
As per Sub-editor of an English language newspaper published from Guwahati:
First concern is to ensure validity of the news facts and whether in its representation it has been over sensationalised, especially in case of violence. Secondly, will it debase a particular culture or community values and ignite violence? And lastly, whether it leaves any scope of defamation that we as a media house could be charged with.
Non- provocative representation: 20% respondents (Figure 3.24) opine that the primary concern of releasing a media product to its consumers should be ensuring that the representation is non-provocative in nature. Representation in media should not be encouraging or aggravating violence. Major concern of media apparently may be non- sensationalised representation where media should refrain from hurting sentiments of the people with their respective belief systems. Media messages rather than extensively covering violence from the region should work on peace towards social, religious, communal and ethnic harmony, through mediated media communication, propose respondents.
According to Senior Copy Editor of an English language newspaper:
While reporting on the BTAD violence last year, some media houses used certain words and showed certain pictures which were responsible for flaring up the violence. These should be avoided at all costs.
According Regional correspondent of a National television news channel: