Sheena Bora murder case: Media needs to stop Stone Age reportage for TRPs

As had happened soon after the arrest of Nupur and Rajesh Talwar following the murders of their teenage daughter Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj Banjade in 2008, the stoning of Indrani Mukerjea by the Indian media has already begun.

The fact that Indrani and all other suspects in the Sheena Bora murder case are innocent till proven guilty — and are entitled to some dignity and public decency — has been thrown to the winds by the media.

Based on information provided by the Mumbai police on and off record, and through interviews conducted by journalists and TV news anchors, the media has all but jumped to its conclusions.

Within nine days of Indrani’s arrest, the media has accused the Mumbai police of “botching up the case”. Her husband and former STAR TV CEO Peter Mukerjea has been ascribed a larger role in the murder plot; Sheena’s brother Mikhail Bora has been accused of lying and misleading the police and two criminal psychologist interviewed to suggest that Indrani Mukerjea fits the profile of a psychopath.

News anchors have been impatiently wanting to know “Why is she holding out and not opening up?” Meaning, what is taking Indrani so long to confess to the murder?

Be it Indrani’s husband Peter, her step son Rahul, her aged, Guwahati-based father Upendra Bora, her former live-in partner Siddhartha Das or a Mumbai car dealer, all are being hounded by the media like trapped animals for quotes and answers. They are being harassed in the name of journalism. If a person decides he does not want to speak to the press, do TV journalists have the right to chase them on camera and hound them till they get inside their car or their building, only to then report that the person preferred to remain silent in spite of being asked a dozen questions?

A McCarthyism of sorts is on display, just as was done by the US Senator Joseph McCarthy during the 1950s when he unfairly targeted people suspected of being communist spies.

What is on display in the name of pursuing a big story is the ugliest kind of journalism. Journalists indeed have the right to report on developing stories and arrive at conclusions on the basis of their investigations. But do they have the right to embark on a trial of their own which is what is happening very clearly on certain news channels?

At the heart of the matter is the fact that the business of journalism thrives on negativity and high sensation and bigger the crime, the better it is for the business of journalism. Every twist and turn in the Sheena Bora murder case is an opportunity to be turned into big, breaking news, bringing in more eyeballs, higher TRPs and thereby, higher revenue.

What is lost in the process is the opportunity for journalism to come out of its backward, Stone Age character. To give an analogy, journalism that is so heavily focused on negativity and abnormal human behaviour is similar to the times when mankind lived comfortably with cannibalism, slavery, the custom of Sati, denial of voting rights for women or the stoning of prisoners to death ― which is prevalent in some countries even today.

In 2014, the writer-philosopher Alain de Botton presented a new vision for journalism in his book The News: A User’s Manual in which he questioned the intense focus and emphasis of journalism on negativity and abnormal human behaviour. Botton held that rather than focusing on everything that is sensational, negative and abnormal, the media as a powerful and highly influential vehicle of mass communication, ought to play a constructive role in helping shape the future that mankind desires. This is possible if the media gives up its focus on negativity and instead highlights what is positive, extraordinary, inspiring and insightful.

This is not to say that the media should not perform its role as a watchdog on the government and as a mirror to society; but at the same time, shouldn’t the media promote the values of kindness, tolerance, harmony and cooperation among the people? Shouldn’t the media be constructive instead of destructive?

When the era of journalism began four centuries ago, the only way to attract attention in an otherwise mundane life was to report sensation. There was no radio, television, internet, mobile telephony, aggressive market competition or all-pervasive sex-laced advertising then to bring excitement into the lives of the people. One year resembled the next as the seasons changed and people went about their work in a life that moved slowly.

Although times have changed dramatically over the centuries, our news media continues to be trapped in negativity and sensationalism. We love to read and relish about negative and abnormal behaviour and the acts of sick minds because it is a form of pornography and it excites us to no end. No wonder that news relating to sex and crime have the highest ratings in journalism.

Moving beyond Stone Age journalism would mean going beyond negativity and sensationalism. As Botton noted in his book, “Modern societies are still at the dawn of understanding what kind of news they need in order to flourish.”

Specifically in the case of the Indrani Mukerjea-Sheena Bora murder case, it would mean downplaying the story because it is an aberration and an abnormality and not turning it into full blast banner headlines day in and day out. It would mean covering the case as a great tragedy that has befallen not just the Mukerjea family and its extended members but also reflect on what is going wrong in Indian society today.

It would mean reporting not just on the crime, investigations and the loop-holes if any; but would also mean reporting on social structures and family values that are strong, sustainable and lead to a better future. It would mean presenting a host of positive stories showing families that are well-adjusted and well-integrated even after multiple divorces.

The world today is well-aware of the deleterious effects of junk food and food contaminated with pesticides and chemicals on the human body. Let us also grow up and be aware of what is Stone Age journalism, junk news and junk journalism and its unhealthy, contaminating effects on the human mind.