India-Pakistan tension: Prime time news and the theatre of the absurd

There is a popular refrain in newsrooms. It goes something like this. When one person says it is raining, and another says it is not raining it is your job to look out the window and find out which is true.

The last few days have amplified how the windows of most Indian newsrooms are firmly closed. The ‘news’ coverage of the India-Pakistan tension was a travesty. To put it bluntly, citizens were denied the truth. They were sucked into a maelstrom of lies, hysteria and imagination of such intensity that even comic books were serious reading. "Islamabad was captured, Karachi Port was destroyed and Pakistan’s army chief Munir was in custody" of Indian newsrooms. If you wish to invest in fantasy, look no further.

In the shadow of war, a solemn analysis and gravitas in coverage calms already jittery minds, especially citizens who live in border areas. We were subjected to the Wild West. It arrested all rationality, not that journalism on the foundations of hate, television rating points (TRPs) and ideology gives ethics importance. Instead of measured coverage, it fanned a blood lust in a country not short of keyboard warriors. That the genie once out of the bottle becomes a monster was evident when Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, merely the messenger, was trolled brutally for announcing the ceasefire. Shamedly, vile messages targeted even his daughter forcing the diplomat to make his X account private.

Automated graphics showed anchors piloting helicopters into war and flying as far away from journalism and reasoning as possible. News channels used simulated videos passing it off as actual footage. This circus mocked those killed both in Pahalgam and at our borders from shelling. For ratings, fake news and hysteria was a dish served cold night after night pulling viewers into a web of deceit. There was nothing sublime, only the ridiculous. In the desperation to be the fastest fingers first, channels put out unverified information only to correct their own report minutes later. The pendulum swung as though a madman had its control. A reporter’s aside was caught on air berating his channel for posting fake news. In the rush for breathless breaking news, another reporter overlooked his colleague zipping his pants. Live television will never be the same again.

Whether in politics or outside, Indians love the lazy question, ‘What is the option?’ But truth like the right to live is sacrosanct and non-negotiable. The onus lies with us; will we seek accountability from the media for butchering reality and gaslighting a nation or do we remain comfortable in the echo chambers? Indian newsrooms won the disinformation war, and this dubious distinction is another nail in the slippery slope of the last decade. Forget the gold standard, our press is now an international embarrassment. Thankfully newspapers reminded us why print media in the country must never become extinct.

Television news, even in its nascent stage when the new kid on the block had a point or two to prove, was circumspect and responsible. A misleading item however small was retracted with a public apology. Dismantling the edifice of the fourth pillar has been as abrupt as removing a band-aid.

In this TRP dance, real-time (mis)reporting also broke many rules of engagement. Crucially it exposed the positions of the armed forces. “All media channels, digital platforms and individuals are advised to refrain from live coverage or real-time reporting of defence operations and movement of security forces. Disclosure of such sensitive or source-based information may jeopardise operational effectiveness and endanger lives,” the government was forced to intervene. This is not unlike what took place during the Kargil War and the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. But no lessons are learned. An ordinary citizen is questioned when national safety is compromised, why not the media? Channels using the sound of sirens in their broadcast were also officially asked to refrain.

And yet while accounts of some credible journalists and news organisations were withheld, newsrooms and their editors will neither be blacklisted nor held accountable. The other glaring offence of the self-imposed cheerleaders was to enable mass hysteria and jingoism to such an extent that those warmongering in cities far from the borders brutally trolled even families of armed forces who spoke of de-escalation.

What played out on our television sets was revenge games. The reason for being there — the solemn moment when 26 innocents were gunned down in Pahalgam - was forgotten and all fake news was a celebration. As the fourth pillar, journalists once had a duty. Now the line between legacy media and social media has blurred. Trends and ‘likes’ have sabotaged public interest. This tamasha (joke) however hides a grave actuality. What happens to a society when the truth is stranger than fiction? The fog of war cannot excuse a people willing to consume garbage by allowing critical thinking to be ambushed.

Will we seek truth or at least an apology? Or are we comfortable with propaganda? No one can make that choice for us. They say tough times make for tough people. India’s media on the other hand was crumpled and torn, and is now tattered pieces blowing in the wind. A friendly suggestion, for your safety, do not try to catch them. Amidst war rhetoric, even sane minds stumbled with reasoning and hungrily hoarded fake news. The true essence of nationalism is to ask the right questions. Those who continue to watch this drivel can remember the age-old adage, Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.