Covering The Mumbai Attacks: What Can We Learn?

I think Media again crossed the line by abusing the technology. Inadvertently, but they still helped the terrorists by providing Live coverage – minute-to-minute details of the event. In this particular event terrorists were technologically smart, they used Blackberry’s and GPS’s. By providing live broadcast of the commando operation media not just killed the element of surprise but endangered both the life of hostages and commandos. It’s time media should start acting with some Social responsibility. News coverage is not just about providing breaking news and profit making. What media did in Mumbai is shameful. They need to look beyond profits and competitions. They need to realize how powerful there words could be, how dangerous an incorrect information could be There was an instance where media provided live coverage of dropping of commandos on the roof of Nariman House, it even showed exact count of commandos dropped. And in the house, terrorists were gaining the tactical information from TV. In another instance famous channel CNN put the lives of a South Wales couple at risk by broadcasting where they were. The Couple claimed that the terrorists were watching CNN and tried to search for them after CNN televised where they were in the hotel. It is high time that we citizens should boycott these media sources and charge them for felony for such repetitive incidences. As far as the technology goes, I think it helped terrorists more than it helped the government or the public. Terrorists sitting in Pakistan, hacked servers in South Africa and sent emails claiming the responsibility of attacks. They used Satellite phones to stay in touch with their counterparts. If you look it in another way, media actually helped spread the complete message of Terrorists. Their aim was not just to kill few 100 people but also to spread panic. And that’s what exactly media did by covering a live show of terrorists ghastly act. They spread the panic in such a way that it affected businesses and regular life across the country for three days. Only in three days, just Mumbai, lost business of Rs 6000 crores; forget about the future impact of what they did. They need to realize that how powerful and far reaching their information is, and thus use it very carefully.