It has to be said media coverage of sensitive matters is often sensationalist in nature and slips out of the bounds of professional propriety and decency. The blind rush and the intense competition to grab the attention of the reader or the viewer are factors contributing to this sad state of affairs. I believe the basic cause is weak professionalism. Therefore, a lasting solution can come only through strengthening of professionalism. Media houses must aim at not only higher revenues but also higher journalistic standards.
Currently charges of media trial are being raised in Kerala mainly in the context of coverage of the actor assault case and the arrest of a movie celebrity in connection with the crime. They were in the nature of a media campaign rather than routine reporting. The media has historically played a part in moulding public opinion besides disseminating information. As such, newspapers and channels have the right to conduct public campaigns in the larger interests of the society. A campaign to ensure that justice is done in the assault case in which the name of a person who has much clout in the film industry has been doing the rounds from the very beginning falls well within the bounds of journalism. Of course the campaign should not overstep professional limits.
The dictum that a person should be presumed innocent until proved guilty aims at creating conditions conducive to a free and fair trial. It should not be turned into a mechanism to provide cover to a person whose conduct is under investigation. Pronouncing an influential person whose role in a heinous crime is under scrutiny innocent before the investigation is completed is as blameworthy as proclaiming him guilty.
(Author is senior jounalist and human rights activist)
