Contributed By An Unknown Blogger
When editorial freedom in newspapers is curtailed – or cultured – to suit marketing avarice, journalism becomes a game of monkey landing.
And this why The Times of India went nuts with the story headlined'New Veerappan Arrives' (Page-one lead, Bangalore edition and nationpage story in other editions, August 9).
The Bandipur dateline story without a byline proclaimed the arrival ofthe 'new Veerappan,' a 45-year-old man called Imbali Jose from Wayanad district of Kerala, in the Nilgiris jungles.
Jose, TOI told us, isjust as bad as Veerappan and the police want him dead or alive. "Onrecord, however, they refuse to name him, acknowledge him or even talkabout him.
They say they want to kill him first and talk later," itsaid.So, it is a story of inside information, eh? The story that quotes KSNChikkerur, IGP (Karnataka CID, Forest Cell) as saying something "in aprobable reference to Jose," is also reassuring:
"But don't let himbother you… We will get this poacher and his gang. We will also getthose poachers and their gangs. I assure you they will all look thesame when they are dead" Chikkerur told The Times of India.
It also quotes a certain Tito Joseph of the Wildlife ProtectionSociety of India. "Jose, 45, leads a gang that has 6-15 men fromWayanad district of Kerala. The gang members are good marksmen; theyare known to bring down tuskers with one shot at the temple. It isalmost like a trademark shot of the gang,'' says Tito.
The story makes one confession, though: "There is no ready informationon Jose," proclaims the reporter (or the desk person who apparentlystruggled in vain to thrust some credibility upon the story).
"Thisreport – the first on him – is based on information pieced togetherfrom various official and unofficial sources in Kerala, Karnataka andDelhi."Here is some ready information: Jose died. On August 9. The same dayTOI went to town with its flyer exclusive.
But contrary to whatChikkerur said, Jose did not look the same as Veerappan when he died.He didn't have a hole in his head. He died after prolonged illness.With his wife and children by his bedside.
He was in a hospital whenthe Karnataka police were hunting for journalists to buy theJose-Veerappan-ruling-Nilgiris-jungles story.
Here is his obituary:August 9/ Pulpalli (Wayanad, Kerala): Sasimala Imbalil Jose (48), died after prolonged illness on August 9.A small-time poacher accused in a 1997 case of being in possession ofa tiger skin at the Kozhikode bus depot, Jose had been in hospital forseveral months, even as tales of his poaching in Nilgiri junglesfilled the Karnataka police files.
A year ago, Jose started losing his eyesight. Six months ago, he lostboth his eyes. Soon, both his kidneys failed. He died of renalfailure. He is survived by his wife Elsi and sons Joshi and Jobi.
Thefuneral was held at the Sasimala Infant Jesus Church at 10 am onAugust 10. An English Daily on August 9 reported that Jose was actively poachingin the Niligiri jungles where once Veerappan ruled.
A friend who went to Jose with a faxed copy of the newspaper report ended up consoling the bereaved family.
Two officials from the Karnataka Forest Cell rushed to Jose's house to ascertain his death.Post script:Jose was into poaching. But he was no Veerappan.
Probably hecontracted some infection in the jungles. He was fighting death, notkilling elephants for at least a year, while the Karnataka Forest Cell invented a badly needed villain.
Such stories as appeared in TOI appear on Indian newsprint because:
1) The management does not allow reporters to investigate, for the fear of hurting sacred cows who are really milch cows for theadvertisement honchos.
2) The paper needs exciting stories to survive (till journalism dies), but not at the cost of biting the udder too hard.
So, Veerappans who don't release advertisements to newspapers are invented.
3) TOI knows all of the above better than others.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
