Further my yesterday's post - We're still alive and the earth is still around much to the disappointment of those who were worried that this experiment would lead to Armageddon.
However it has led to certain unfortunate repercussions. Indian news channels predictably had turned their reportage into mindless doomsday blabber. They fielded everyone from scientists to astrologers and had a field day scaring the living daylights out of people. And if you think it doesn't have any impact on people, then you're wrong.... Read This from the Indian Express..
"Big Bang' scares girl to commit suicide
Indore, September 10: A 16-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh has allegedly committed suicide after watching TV programmes that made dooms-day predictions relating to the atom-smasher experiment in Geneva on Wednesday.
Chhaya, a resident of Sarangpur town in Rajgarh district, consumed sulphos tablets (an insecticide) on Tuesday, her parents said. The girl was rushed to Indore's MY Hospital where she succumbed on Wednesday.
Her parents told reporters that she was watching a news report relating to the world's biggest atom-smasher experiment on TV channels for the last two days and was restless.
Police have registered a case in this regard and further investigations are on. The experiment is being carried out to recreate the birth of universe and unlock its secrets, with scientists rubbishing reports of any threat to the planet because of it."
I mean this is ridiculous... Though I'm the first one to admit that the girl perhaps over reacted, but then will nobody question the role of the continuous scaremongering that our media indulges in.
Thankfully, the government seems to have woken up and news has come in that the I&B Ministry has issued warnings to India TV and Aaj Tak .... About Time !!
"CERN Big Bang: TV channels draw I&B ire for spreading panic
11 Sep 2008, 0416 hrs IST,TNN
NEW DELHI: Even as the world celebrated the successful 'Big Bang' experiment on Thursday, doomsday predictions by certain news channels raised the hackles of the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry.
The ministry has issued advisories to India TV and Aaj Tak for spreading "misinformation, fear and horror" among people. It has advised the channels to exercise restraint in presenting issues.
The ministry has also written to the Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) and the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) to advise its members to refrain from broadcasting such content and to be careful in selection of news items. The ministry found stories talking about the world coming to an end, shown in various dramatised forms, as unsuitable for "unrestricted public exhibition" and "unsuitable for children".
Media critics have pointed out that instead of looking at the Big Bang experiment as a scientific development, doomsday stories only succeeded in scaring naive viewers and annoying those who saw through the facade. "The experiment has been the talking point everywhere for all the wrong reasons," a media critic said.
According to the downlinking guidelines, the ministry can issue a showcause notice to channels for violation of the programme code. A decision on punitive action is taken by an inter-ministerial committee after the TV channel responds. While in some cases, the channel may only have to run a scroll of apology for screening an offending advertisement or programme, in cases of serious violation, the ministry is empowered to ban the channel.
In the recent past, the ministry has banned FTV and AXN after repeated violations of the programme code. The government has come under flak for acting as the "moral police" and taking a call on what is suitable for broadcast. The industry has been keen on regulation by peers rather than a government-led body."
4 comments:
I know of people who didn't send their children to school, on account of the doomsday predictions.
Sometimes I wish I could give Rajat Sharma a combover through his arse.
Gawwwd.. and to think this was only the test and not the actual collision! Our media, with all its channels hyper-excited newsreaders should be shot through the arse and kept sedated till the whole thing blows over.
May be we should start giving them some Raspberry awards and have it shown Live on their own network..
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