Amid ongoing tension between India and Pakistan, the aggressive news reporting by mainstream news anchors have fueled the sentiments of the citizens and during the process, the social media is being bombarded with the information pertaining to the identity of our soldiers, which is indeed, not in a good faith.
The Indian media might have forgotten that there are some protocols that have to be followed while reporting about any defence operation but we as the responsible citizen of this nation should not let those stupid narrators reveal any information pertaining to defence.

For the sake of a ‘byte’

In a rush to be the first, the Indian media descended on the residence of captured fighter pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman; sticking mikes into the faces of his family. Giving information about the exact location, city and state of his residence, his family details, exposed the officer to the enemy state.
Ironically, this was when the commander himself refrained from giving any information regarding his military service to the Pakistani Army officials.
Despite being a prisoner and having ejected from a fighter aircraft, facing a near-death assaulting mobs and the realisation that he was not a captive in Pakistani hands, the fighter pilot did not lose his composure.
In a video, addressing Pakistani officer/s interrogating him as ‘sir’ that is part of the military decorum, the Wing Commander made it clear that he was not allowed to part with information about his background and his other details.

He just gives his name, his service number and that he was a flying pilot that is information in the public domain. He refused, despite the fact that he was hurt and bleeding, to give more details. “I am sorry sir that is all I am supposed to tell you,” the officer who was blind-folded told his captors in a clip made available by the Pak Army. In another video released later, where he is shown with a cup of tea, he again refuses to disclose details about his state and other information that is classified.

But Indian media tried to make interrogation for Pakistan easier by heading toward the commander’s house and revealing his family, violating all rules of reporting about Indian soldiers held in captive by the enemy nation.

This is not the only example to show how irresponsibly Indian Media deals with the news. Earlier, while reporting about the Pulwama attack, some media reports suggested that a Scorpio car was used to execute the attack while later the model changed into Sumo and then finally Eco Sport.

During the 26/11 terror attack, the media was airing minute to minute deployment details of the police forces which the terrorists were using for their advantage.

The question is who gave them the authority to report facts that are not verified by the government. Those furious news anchor claiming to start a war with Pakistan themselves made strategies and served it to the audience about possible ways of attacking Pakistan and started flaunting about the war weapons India has. I mean could someone please tell them that they are being watched everywhere by everyone!

Is TRP more important than national security?

It’s high time now, Indian media should start acknowledging the responsibilities vested to them in the name of ‘Journalism’.
There are some guidelines being set up by the government in the context of what should be shown and what should not be, and media should abide by it.
Everyone should understand when it comes to defence there are some set of guidelines, and we can’t compromise with the security of our nation for mere TRPs, Subscribers or likes.
Even as citizens, one should be aware of these guidelines. Kindly refrain from sharing any information pertaining to the Army, from war weapons to the identity of the soldiers- this way you can contribute your bit in helping the nation and the Army.

This is not the first time that Indian media has behaved in such an irresponsible manner, during the heinous attack of 26/11 they did compromise with the security of the nation and gave every detail for mere TRPs.
From reporting every detail of army base camps to indulging in ‘word war’ and missing out other pressing issues, Indian media has always been ignorant of the responsibility vested to them in the name of ‘Journalism’.
And this is the reason why it’s time for us, citizens, to take the matter maturely and avoid taking puerile actions. As the onus of safeguarding our nation is also upon us.
Here are some ways to behave as a responsible citizen during this time of high alert.
  • Forwarding jokes are fine but the situation is grim. So let’s come back to senses and ask ourselves, “What is my responsibility in a crisis”. Understand that this is an hour of national high alert in India.
  • “Loose lips sink ships”. Your Facebook, Whatsapp & Instagram messages could go to our enemies within minutes. if you have friends in defence, DO NOT share their messages to civilian groups. Just be silent when it comes at security matters. Your brilliant insights may be just what the enemy needs to understand the Indian psyche.

  • Stay united, don’t get aggressive and avoid abusing any particular community. Remember! We are Indians first. Indian army is capable enough to deal with the matters pertaining to external aggression and war-like situation but to maintain internal harmony and safety, it is our responsibility.
  • Do not photograph or take videos of anything related to local or national security. No selfies with tanks or jawans.  The enemy is monitoring social media activity, city by city and tracking our forces.
  • Choose newsagencies over news channels to get the news updates, boycott channels those pose a security threat to the family of the soldiers. They are doing to for TRPs, and most of them are owned by political parties, which means the chances of them doing a thing for nation interest decreases.
  • Do not take pictures at airports, railway stations, government facilities, etc. or circulate them.
  • Do not forward any sensitive videos and if anyone sends it in a group, caution the sender and insist on the admin removing it immediately.
  • Be on high alert personally,  in public spaces and in case of any security threat,  alert local authorities immediately ( suspicious packages, panicked drivers near sensitive facilities, etc.) Become the eyes and ears of India’s security forces.
  • If you have a flight/train to catch, arrive early and help make the security checks smooth. Don’t throw tantrums and become a headache for the CRPF/security teams there. Instead, greet them with a Jai Hind or Thank you, and receive a broad smile.
  • Sensitize others – family, children, youth, drivers, maids, friends, –  that do not share any detail about the soldiers and refrain from indulging in any social media activity that can give a hint about the whereabouts of our Army to enemies.
Jai Hind!
Hail the Motherland!

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