The insufferable shouting brigade
Amita Malik

SOME years ago, there was a political group in Parliament which went by the rather unflattering title of The Shouting Brigade. Ironically, some of them have since become political spokespersons on television and continue to shout, not allowing others to speak, mostly when they are losing an argument, which is one of the specialities of the BJP. But it is not about them that I use the title this week but, also ironically, about some of the best-known anchors on Indian television. In the course of one week, I have by coincidence met a number of discriminating, sophisticated viewers (one of them a distinguished author) who take their viewing seriously. They expressed their views quite independently at different small gatherings in private homes and they all had a similar complaint which they wanted me to convey in this column. They felt that some established anchors make themselves intolerable by first shouting and then interrupting participants in their programmes. They voice more opinions of their own than give enough time to the participants to develop their arguments.

On top of the list were Rajdeep Sardesai and Arnab Goswami of NDTV 24/7. And I was not altogether surprised as I had recently often felt uncomfortable about their new aggressiveness, where plain emphasis (a speciality of Tim Sebastian), which is legitimate, is replaced by perpetually raised voices (mostly Rajdeep’s) and rude interruptions (Arnab’s) which seem contrived. This is a new style of aggressive anchoring which is not half as effective as the more balanced and quietly effective style of Vikram Chandra or, of course, the relaxed authoritative style of Prannoy Roy. In this context I find embarrassing, and positively childish, the publicity gimmick of Sardesai throwing a dart to emphasise the belligerent attitude of his weekly programme, The Big Fight. Watching this programme with extra care last week, I found that the raised decibels are initiated at the start by Sardesai himself, who shouts more like a neta addressing an open-air political meeting than a sophisticated anchor who knows the use of the microphone. With the tone set, most of his panellists start shouting too, and, incidentally, Sardesai often chips in with more views of his own than those of the participants. That it is possible to be a panellist in this programme without shouting loudly was proved by both Alyque Padamsee (a theatre person he knows the use of his voice) and the editor of Loksatta. Both spoke emphatically but without shouting like Sardesai and the Shiv Sena participant who, however, was much more amiable than some of his party colleagues and even smiled occasionally. As for Arnab Goswami, he seldom lets a participant complete a sentence before arbitrarily butting in. One feels at times that the anchors have been given a directive to be aggressive and shout, no matter what. But I cannot believe that because the majority of anchors and reporters on NDTV 24/7 manage to keep their cool, and their voices under control.

For a complete change of subject, the spat between the BBC and the British government over the sad case of scientist Dr David Kelly has had a tragic ending and once again raised two issues relevant also to India. To what extent governments can bring pressure on the media and on its own employees on matters which embarrass the government. And to what extent the media should protect the confidentiality of the sources of its information. His friends, family and colleagues have confirmed that Dr Kelly was a gentle, shy and very private person and that the grilling to which he was subjected by a parliamentary committee led to the breaking of his spirit and suicide. At the time of writing, and out of respect, the BBC has admitted, after his death, that Dr Kelly was the main source of their information. The British government is already facing deep trouble over this tragic affair and the BBC, some people feel, might have spared Dr Kelly his mental anguish if it had disclosed their source earlier. This is a very controversial suggestion and only made in hindsight. In any case, our media also has a lot to ponder over on the whole question of professional values.

Another point to be noted about the discovery of Dr Kelly’s body is that it was never shown in close-up but only the location was shown in an unusual long shot. There were no reporters milling around and the police made cautious and discreet statements until the identification took place and spared his family further anguish.

I have enjoyed the first two instalments of 1 to 1, the NDTV programme which allows well-known personalities to interview themselves. It began with Vivek Oberoi before his accident and was a good mix of youthful exuberance, ego and lots of fun. The second programme, with Anupam Kher, was much more thoughtful and self-analytical.It brought out some of Kher’s lesser-known experiences, such as his effort to teach young children for free at a convent school, with unexpected reactions from the principal.