Crime reporting not a source of entertainment says News Channels

Today crime and crime shows seem to dominate the scene where newspapers and television shows  are concerned  . In our series on crime shows earlier we had spoken to some industry peers and it was observed that of late undue importance is given to crime on the television medium and it is  flooded with shows of this genre. This week in part two of our series on crime shows  we spoke to  channel custodians in order to understand their view point with regard to the present scenario where such shows are concerned . It has been observed that a news channel’s  coverage on crime is  portrayed  in a different manner which is  straight, does not beat around the bush and brings  the harsh reality to the viewer  thus creating a sense of awareness in them. On the other hand a GEC which sees it as a form of entertainment may have a tendency to add frills to the story with a lot of drama thrown in to make the entire show more interesting and with the main intention of attracting eyeballs .

In this connection we at Adgully spoke to some channel custodians like Ashok Venkatramani, CEO-MCCS (Media Content and Communications); Ritu Dhawan, Managing Director & CEO, India TV, to get their understanding on the same. We also met up with Mr. Prem Kamath General Manager, Channel [V] who shared his views vis a vis on the same subject. Following are some of the excerpts of their viewpoints:

It is especially seen that news channel nowadays  give major coverage on crime incidents and hold lengthy discussions on the same. When asked how important action is vis-à-vis endless discussions on a television medium Ritu Dhawan says, “Reporting crime is part of the duty of any news channel. We have seen recently in the unfortunate rape case in a bus, how people got agitated and protested on roads. Discussions are integral part of a democratic system. News channels are merely a platform for people of divergent views to express their opinion.”

“Media has a definite and defining role to play in providing information and to counteract rumor. People hear about crimes through casual conversations or rumor and are normally half-informed. It is the job of a responsible news source to unravel the complete truth. Also, owing to its news worthiness, reporting crime has long been central to news coverage,” Ritu Dhawan added further.
Expressing his opinion Ashok Venkatramani said, “Action and reporting both are critical on crime incidents. The flagship program of ABP News-“Sansani” was the first crime show launched in its genre in 2004 and till date continues to ensure the reporting of not just the incident but also of the action. Reporting of crime is critical for the viewer and Sansani continues to cater to this need.”
According to Ritu Dhawan, there are reasons why channels report crime and why people want to see or know about crime stories. Some of the important ones are: Most people obey the law, so for them crime stories are about unusual events  and also an   important criteria for news. Viewers want an explanation of why crimes happen in society in order to possibly ready themselves and prevent something similar happening to them.  They also need to know how laws are broken, and how people who break laws are penalized. This not only helps them with a deeper understanding of the law but also restraints  them from  indulging in such acts.

On asking does airing shows on crime in any way help authorities to take stringent action against the wrong doers and bring them to justice, Ritu Dhawan explained, “While you talk about action, it is for the law enforcement machinery to take a note of the same and act in the right manner. The discussions long or short are largely dependent upon the gravity of the crime covered and its potential to affect the society at large basis the intellectual understanding of respective editors. You’ll see thousands of instances wherein our coverage acted a strong stimulus for ensuring justice to prevail by timely action taken by the respective authorities.”

Ashok Venkatramani opines, “If we talk about the latest crime of the gang rape in Delhi, it was due to the media coverage on channels that the society at large felt a need to get together and drive the revolution towards seeking justice.”

Ritu Dhawan adds, “There are several examples like Manu Sharma son on a powerful politician in Jessica Lal case and Vikas Yadav again a son of a powerful mafia don in Nitish Katara murder case. Without the active role played by the media the guilty would have got away with murder. I think not only does this help but in most cases, it ensures a strong pressure on the responsible authorities to act and which is what the objective always is.”

Here giving his opinion Prem Kamath said that it depends if the dramatized version of the  show  creates awareness for it’s audience. In this regard he says, “Ours is clearly not made with that purpose or end result. We would hope that it enlightens families as a whole about seemingly innocuous situations that could quickly become life changing events.”

But the question arises are these crime shows in any way helping the society or is it a mere entertaining factor which are being churned out on a regular basis? Ashok Venkatramani here said, “For ABP News, crime shows is not an entertainment bulletin but a serious thought provoking reporting which is reflective even in its crime show “Sansani”.

“Sansani aims towards unraveling the truth for the viewer and helps him in forming the right opinion and become a part of a society which is responsible and responsive. It’s a dramatized version, done to create the awareness with impact,” he added further.

Ritu Dhawan agreed  that in a way it is a news channel’s positive contribution towards the society. She also believes that crime shows help create awareness, dispel rumors and inform public about their rights. Crime shows are no entertainment; they acutely expose criminals and put pressure on police for prompt action.

Ritu Dhawan says, “Though Crime is a genre that sells well because of the viewers’ interest as explained earlier, at the same time I strongly disagree with even the farthest comparison with entertainment, primarily because it completely discounts the sustained contribution these stories make.”

Stating some of the recent examples she said, “The recent Damini Gang Rape case, wherein it was a sustained coverage that has not only raised hope that the culprits will be brought to the book but also has forced the law-makers of the country to quickly make changes in the laws. You may like to imagine a situation where in the same scenario, less the coverage this incident got – I can assure you that this would have been a forgotten story.”

When asked as a channel custodian, his thoughts on reporting such ghastly and brutal incidents, Ashok Venkatramani opined that reporting Crime is critical for any news channel and more so for a channel like ABP News which is a responsible news channel. ABP News uses the medium of reporting such incidents as a means of cautioning the general masses to not fall prey to similar situations.

Ritu Dhawan here stated that crime shows should be produced with utmost care. Any pictures which may disturb the viewer should be avoided. The aim of crime reporting should be to inform and educate public. Recent case of Delhi rape is one example where reporting was done with responsibility, keeping the sensitivity of the case in mind.

“Basis the reasons stated such coverages are necessary. I agree that some news channels have a few times gone overboard to report such incidents of late and somewhere lacked sensitivity. Utmost sensitivity is the rule we follow and would urge all to also follow the same,” she concluded.

To get a vis-vis understanding when asked if  the  GEC’s are only trying to grab eyeballs and raise their TRP’s by airing crime shows, Prem Kamath explained that  Gumraah on Channel V has seen a disproportionate response from viewers, both on social media and otherwise. People have sat up and noticed it as a property that has profound meaning and a sharp message for the entire spectrum, from parents to kids. If it was just about ratings, the show would play a lot more on basic aesthetics such as the rawness of the crime or the plight of the victim. Instead it dwells on the background, situation and the events that have transpired leading to the occurrence of  the crime.

Though several other channels were approached to share their views on the topic of discussion they were not very forthcoming and unwilling to give their inputs on the same.

In view of the opinions of the channel custodians, it is quite evident that crime shows when aired on a news channel are done so with an aim to spread awareness. No doubt about the fact that such shows are produced very subtly on a news channel keeping in mind the aim, vision and purpose of the show. This being the subsequent part of our feature on crime , Adgully would like to inform readers that they can  soon look forward to the concluding part of the feature which will appear in our next edition