Ranjona Banerji: Much fire about Uttarakhand

By Ranjona Banerji

The Uttarakhand forest fires have largely died out and we have had some much welcome rain. And the media coverage of the forest fires have not stopped or reduced. We have had reports, special features, opinions, data, human interest stories about how the fires start, who’s responsible, what can be done, which political party to blame, the environmental impact, the future – just about every angle covered. I think I saw some TV person on TV flying over fires in a helicopter. Or did the smoke get in my eyes?

So while armchair activists and well-meaning people are fulminating on social media about the lack of media coverage on the Uttarakhand fires, newspaper reports in Uttarakhand say that the tourism industry is furious with the media for over-reporting and exaggerating the fires. People have cancelled their hotel bookings because they are frightened of the fires. One hotelier is quoted as saying that this reaction is like refusing to go to Delhi because there was a fire in Mandi House.

Do I have to spell out the irony for you or have you managed to figure it out for yourself? Please do share this with your armchair activist hysterical social media posting friends. And of course, we can collectively lament the fact the media cannot win one way or another!

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There is a discussion going on in this country about the priorities of the media. Of course, usually when they say this, they are talking about television. And specifically Times Now and I imagine NewsX which for days do not seem to have moved beyond the Agusta Westland VVIP helicopter deal and charges of bribery. The problem is that there is not enough evidence as far as India is concerned, yet, so most discussions go round and round, rising to that usual crescendo of cross-party yelling matches. What purpose has been served no one knows, as no one ever has.

Although to be fair, the other English news channels like NDTV, the new CNN-News18, some shows on India Today TV have realised the horrors of drought, forest fires (oh my did I really mention something which “the media” has not covered?), the problems of farmers, the hinterland of India and other compelling problems. Which is small mercies, I suppose.

Newspapers however have covered almost everything as usual. As have news websites. I mean real news websites run by journalists; not those run by people pretending to be journalists and funded by political parties.

Those interested in such matters beyond hysterics about helicopters, would do well to read Harsh Mander in the Indian Express on drought: (http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/mgnrega-india-drought-budget-narendra-modi-arun-jaitley-2784711/)

This might provide a fair understanding of what India is going through. Ten states have been declared drought-ridden. The situation on the dry parched ground remains critical. But have governments been called out on this? And why have their justifications and excuses, going back to colonial times, been accepted. People, animals, crops in India are dying. But some possible bribes paid in a helicopter deal are more important? The Nation, does indeed, demand an answer. And deserves one.

The other opinion piece which explains the conditions of drought and government policy and inaction is this one by Yogendra Yadav in The Hindu:

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-season-of-scorching-ironies/article8557168.ece utm_source=MostPopular&utm_medium=Opinion&utm_campaign=WidgetPromo