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Television news

The article "Television news is for reel" (Jan. 2) has rightly pointed to the unprofessional manner in which television channels handled the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. I had the opportunity to interview one of the MPs who was rescued from the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. While narrating the sequence of events, he said he was perturbed because the television leaked the news of his presence in the hotel. He wondered why, when hotel managements do not disclose the names of guests and consider privacy a protocol, the media should have disclosed them in their live coverage. Some channels even called him on his mobile phone, exposing him and his colleagues to danger. The terrorists, whose main aim was to cause maximum damage, would have been very thankful to the media. Our TV anchors have not risen to the level of understanding the enormity of a task and of not getting over-excited on getting sensational news.

Shahani Fatima,

Palakkad

The electronic media are concerned only with their TRP ratings and making money. If they get a piece of news that is sensational, they convert it into a reality show and forget the other things taking place around the world. Was nothing else happening during and after the Mumbai attacks? The endless coverage showed that the television channels lacked objectivity.

Shilpa Sinha,

New Delhi

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