Opinion When live TV works and when it does not
Televised press conferences rarely go as planned
What is the purpose of a press conference or a press briefing if not to share information and opinions? Last week,however,two such occasions raised questions and eyebrows: if those two objectives are not fulfilled,should they be held?
First,there was the prime ministers briefing of editors from select media outlets. Then,last Saturday,there was Maria Susairajs press conference for anyone who cared to attend. Both left viewers disappointed. In the case of the PM,the fact that he did not hold a live TV show meant that we had to glean what he said and what he might have meant by what he said from the editors who attended the briefing and then appeared on TV news channels to tell us what he said and indeed,what he meant.
A discussion on Times Now typified viewer confusion first,anchor Arnab Goswami,waving a transcript of the briefing,interpreted the PM one way and then editor Kumar Ketkar,who had been present at the briefing,said no,it wasnt quite like that,the PM said such-and-such in response to such-and-such question and he didnt say it the way you said he said it.
It would perhaps be wiser for the PM to hold live TV press briefings so that we can hear for ourselves what he has to say,or to give exclusive interviews (and we mean exclusive) to different publications and news channels to avoid multiple interpretations of his statements.
Maria Susairaj went on air shortly after Maria Sharapova went to Wimbledons centre court for the womens tennis final. Both Marias looked done in,one by the better tennis player on the day,Petra Kvitova,and the other by a media inquisition which became something of a media trial as friends of Neeraj Grover,whose murder Susairaj has been convicted of playing a role in,heckled her mercilessly. You wondered why she and her lawyer,Shaikh M. Sharif,had called the press conference: from the coverage of the trials verdict,it was clear the media believed,at least partially,that there had been a miscarriage of justice and Susairaj had got off lightly.
What followed were a few moments when Susairaj was allowed to speak,which she spent explaining her faith in God and how her release was His doing or then refusing to answer questions about the murder,the trial or those involved. For the better part of an hour there was chaos: mediapersons shouted while friends of Grover interrupted whenever they could,and Maria helplessly fingered the microphone; only Sharif appeared to be basking in his moment of nation-wide glory. Such a pointless exercise.
But it did make you wonder: if the PM began to give regular media briefings as many demand,would he be heckled when he spoke?
Ghulam Nabi Azad can now vouch for the pitfalls of speaking in front of TV cameras. A common political ploy is to deny saying something after having said it by alleging a misquote. That worked in the good or bad old times when there was no TV coverage. But Azads unfortunate comments on gay relationships were only too disastrously clear on TV. And then there is YouTube,which will never let him forget it.
Live TV broadcasts can be extremely tedious. Watched Prince Albert of Monaco marrying Charlene Wittstock (Fashion TV). Of course there was a red carpet and many people treading it,people we had never seen before or are likely to see again,wearing peculiar headgear (remember William weds Kate?),sometimes to thunderous applause.
Speaking of weddings,hope you remembered the Dhonis first wedding anniversary on Monday? India TV and News 24 did and celebrated it like their own. Odd what we (mis)take for news.
Hope you watched a wonderful two-hour special,Atlantis (BBC Entertainment). It dramatised what research and evidence suggest was the famous island that disappeared after a terrific earthquake,volcanic eruptions and tsunami tidal waves. The special effects were superb left you gasping for breath and grasping the edge of your seat for safety.
shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com
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