TV stations follow CBI blindly

Last year,a major news story that dominated the local Tv stations in Calcutta for several weeks was the death of a bright young man.His body was found dead beside railway tracks near Calcutta.I narrate the story in a nutshell.Rizwanur, 30, was found dead between Dumdum and Bidhannagar Road railway station on 22Th September 2007,body covered with injury marks and head smashed a month after marring local business tycoon AshokToddy's daughter against her families wishes.
The youth had accused lalbazar, head quarter of Calcutta police of pressuring her wife to return to her father and threatening to arrest Rizwanur for kidnapping if she didn't ,according to his family and an NGO whose help he had sought.According to the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights,Rizwanur's complaint said that Assistant Commissioner(anti rowdy section) Sukanti Chakraborty and deputy commissioner(headquarter) Gywant Singh had tried persuasion. Later City Detective Chief Ajay Kumar issued the arrest threat on September prompting the girl to go back for seven days to Todi's Saltlake home from where she never returned.Later,all the accused police officers including Police commissioner were transferred.
Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya ordered a CID(criminal Investigation Department) probe into Rizwanur's death.Later, the case was handed over to Central bureau of Investigation(CBI).TV stations tried to compete each other -live footages -sensationalize the whole issue-even cross the journalistic ethics-violating people's privacy.They follow CID later CBI officials blindly and 'hijack' people related to the case who were questioned by the central investigative agency,to their studious.But,unlike Tehelka, a magazine, conducts independent investigations on several high profile cases,local TV stations avoided independent investigations on this particular issue.For instance,in Nithari murder case after a four-week-long Investigation, Tehelka exposed that police had helped Moninder Singh Pandher,Nithari's serial killer to cover up the entire episode where at least 19 children missing from Nithari, a slum in Noida near Delhi from 2005 to 2006.Their sting operations blew the cover up.But TV stations of Calcutta by and large avoided independent investigations and blindly followed the theories of CBI.They could have done the investigation by obtaining call details of Rizwanur and others closely associated with the case from the service providers and conducted their investigation independently like traditional muckrakers.

Muckrakers spent much of their time searching archives

With the advent of technology,miniature and less expensive cameras are available in the market,TV stations now able to cover stories that they earlier avoided.Usually,Newspapers don't need pictures for this kind of stories.Newspaper reporters work quietly and write a copy based on their observations.Earlier,Broadcasting Journalists and their crews faced difficulties due to their heavy equipments.Though,occasionally newspapers,magazines use hidden cameras,spy-cams but it's not necessary to use them.In India,Tehelka,a magazine deals with serious issues often use spy cameras to prove their points.Now,online editions of newspapers in America and other countries use videos along with still pictures and even try to compete with Television Networks.In Broadcasting Journalism,'sting operation' where reporters loaded with spy-cams,hidden cameras cover sensible stories but the way they use spy-cams,hidden cameras to create drama.They can do the same thing by using the traditional methods of reporting.Though,I believe that we cannot cover certain stories without using spy cams,hidden cameras,often methods adopted by reporters,producers cross journalism ethics.Deceptions,provocations play a major part of any sting operation.In recent Aaj Tak(a major Hindi News channel in India) carried out a sting operation where K.Jyothi Kumaran,secretary of Indian Hockey Federation(IHF) allegedly took money from reporters posing as businessmen who want to organise an International Hockey tournament,to inducted a young player in the national team.Though,the intention of the 'sting operation' was to expose serious wrong doing,but reporters lured K.Jyothikumaran by offering him money.The channel could have done the same story with traditional methods used by muckrakers.Muckrakers spent much of their time searching archives,documents.The word muckrakers was introduced by American president Theodore Roosevelt for the Investigative reporters who dug the shit.

We don't have any watch dog like print media

The print media in India,have a watchdog in the form of the Press Council Of India,which may not have the punitive powers,but can give warning and sought explanation from media professional and media houses.But, there are no such watch dog for the electronic media.TV news channels often ignore the basic code of conduct.Last year, a national news channel carried out a 'sting operation' where they falsly implicate a mathematics teacher of Delhi claming that she was luring students into the flesh trade.Later,Police found that she was was framed and the reporter who conducted the 'sting operation' was arrested . The Editor's Guild of Indioa set up a sub-committe to consider the draft broadcast Services Regulation Bill and Content Code for the electronic media has come up with or more about code of ethics please check:www.rtnda.org (then click code of ethics onthe suggestion for a code of ethics for news and cuttent affairs channels.But,until such thing happens,I recommend that we should follow the code of Ethics and professional conduct adopted by Radio TV News Directors Association(USA).As a Investigative Reporter,we often use hidden cameras or spy cameras.
Before using hidden/spy cameras we should follow this procedures:
What is the role of video in the story?Is it essential?Does it bring real value?
Is it necessary to use a hidden camera in this story?why?
Have you used all traditional means to investigate the story,including interviews and reviewing public records,databases and documents? and much more.