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Showing posts with label News on Riots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News on Riots. Show all posts

Saturday, August 13, 2011

The Riot and the News

Today’s newspapers carry a headline…three Asians were killed by a car in Birmingham, London. These three Asians were protecting their property in the riot-hit area. And that carries a message, a warning to the Asians. Do not dare try and protect your life, property and religion, or else. The riot-torn London is too numb to react. All the newspapers, agencies and the audio-visual media of the world are giving us the news and we get to know about the smoke, the cricket-commentary and the victory…In the room women come and go/ talking of Michelangelo….

Now we know there is a riot, looting and destruction of property and the creeping fear-psychosis in middle-class London. We know that the rioters are teenagers on a spree of destruction. What we do not know is who these teenagers are? WHITE or BROWN? Well, we have our surmises. But do we know them as facts? Is the news-machinery doing its part in letting us know what we should know? Now, there is another question that crops up here. Should we know? Does our Right to KNOW allow us to know what may be dangerous to the society?

The danger is already there. As we see. And there is no visible effort to contain the malicious elements. It is said that the police are afraid to violate the human rights of the violators. So, areas of London are already under fire. Without any aggravating circumstances. And the administration is trying to explain away the riot by citing the critical unemployment problem. It is a situation where all the colours are involved…White, Black and Brown. Where is the harm to know the truth in such a situation? Or there is harm? Harm of the exposure of the White London’s fear and hatred of the colour Brown?

So, basically, if we analyse the news-situation regarding the riot-scenario of London, the top-down approach of the first world and the world information order becomes quite clear. It’s not about the events. It’s about how the events are talked about. When any serious event concerns the so-called third world, the news-hunters are all for the right of fair comment and true reporting. Or what their idea is about the RIGHT TO INFORMATION. But when it comes to the backyard of the FIRST WORLD, lets sweep facts and questions under the carpet and serve the public with half-truths and lame-explanations.

About the Author

Anuja Bagchi is presently engaged as University Research Fellow at Department of Mass Communication, University of Burdwan. She has expertise both in the field of mass communication and law and has widely commented on a range of topics.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and they do not reflect in any way those of the Dispassionate Observer.

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