Mumbai Terror and the Power of Radio
November 28th, 2008 by Rob Brown
When the story broke on the terror attacks in Mumbai there was much talk of news spreading through blogs and social networks like Twitter. Details of the siege were reported minute by minute by people who were there. There is no doubt that the rise in citizen journalism and the availability of these channels has provided a new layer of news sourcing where information comes fast and direct.
It was the medium of radio however that brought the events into vivid and immediate focus. As the siege was taking place Jim Naughtie on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme conducted an extraordinary interview. Business lawyer Mark Abell was barricaded in his room inside the Oberoi hotel whist the murder and mayhem was taking place. “As I entered my room there was a massive blast …and the gunfire has been going on throughout the night” he said, ”there is no escape and we haven’t heard anything from anybody.” The immediacy and reality of the situation along with Mark’s stoic bravery was evident throughout.Mark escaped and was interviewed again on Today, 24 hours later. He described his release and the full horror of the carnage he saw when he was escorted under armed guard through the lobby of the hotel.
Radio can deliver insight that text or still image based channels never can. I have always been persuaded by the views of Gary Carter of FremantleMedia who argues that so called ‘old media’ are not replaced by new they continue co-exist. He argues ”The only mass communication medium in history to have been replaced by another is the telegraph and …arguably, of course, the telegram was not a mass communication technology.”
We need to stop thinking of media in terms of “newness” and think more in terms of “richness”. We can be seduced by something shiny and new and but we must still celebrate that which we already have.
Tags: , BBC, citizen journalism, Gary Carter, Mark Abel, Mark Abell, Mark Able, Mumbai, Oberoi, Radio 4, Radio Four, Today programme, twitter
November 28th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I too heard the interview with Mark Abell, and couldn’t agree more that radio is a very powerful medium, much more powerful than a 140 character tweet. But as you intimate yourself, the interesting aspects of citizen journalism are both the immediacy and the variety of information/news that emerges. Through tools such as Twitter, the story gets out quicker (though arguably uncorroborated) than through conventional media channels, and the story doesn’t get buried by editorial policy.
November 28th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Anyone listening to the Today programme this morning couldn’t have failed to be moved by the live and visceral coverage from Mumbai.Naughtie showed his skill and professionalism in handling an interviewee clearly traumatised by the horror he’d witnessed.
November 28th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I was moved to tears by this morning’s interview. I don’t know Mark, and I don’t know Jim, but the basic raw emotion heard in Mark’s voice (and I think, in Jim’s as well), as he described the killing of people he met, couldn’t fail to have an effect on anyone who was able to listen to this unbelievably brave man. Mark said that it was others who were brave, but bravery takes many forms - and having the courage to go on public radio, and continue to describe those scenes of horror for those of us who are half a world away (despite his obvious distress), had to have taken a certain amount of grit. My hat is off to you, Mark.
As for Jim. Some people don’t understand the reason why anyone would listen to the Today programme - well, this morning’s interview was it. I just want to say: Jim, you conducted the interview the rest of us either wanted to hear, or wanted to do, or both - Thanks very much.
November 30th, 2008 at 11:50 am
What has made India the most dangerous country to be in is the fact that the country’s largest political party Congress depends on Muslim vote bank for its survival. These politicians will go on appeasing Muslims for their political compulsions, but it’s time for thinking Muslims of India to wake up and stop voting for this party and give a clear signal that they won’t support politicians who are getting votes at the cost of lives and prestige of India. Securities agencies can come to know about vital information on forthcoming attacks and terrorists machinations only from the terrorists who are captured after previous attacks. But removal of tough anti-terror laws and going soft approach of Congress on terrorists who are caught has only given rise to this situation that Intelligence agencies are clueless about what’s the next target of terrorists. Ironically, while terrorists were counting down toward the Mumbai attack, India’s premier agency called Anti-Terror Squad(ATS) was busy serving their lords in Congress by framing and torturing some Sadhvi and a small group of Hindus in a terror case. Scorecard of ATS in the end? They could present no real evidence against this Hindu group in the court, and everyone was released by the court; ATS could not find a single clue about deadly Train Blasts earlier; and finally, the terrorists had to visit Mumbai in outrageously public way for the country to see their faces finally. Again I’ll say, Congress will go on appeasing Muslims for their political compulsions, but it’s time for thinking Muslims of India to wake up and stop voting for this party and give a clear signal that they won’t support politicians who are getting votes at the cost of lives and prestige of India….”wake or die” is the writing on the wall for Indians!
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:19 am
This is a very sad day for Mumbai and all of India. The blasts were bad enough as it is, but there are some other things too that make this incident so terrible. I am talking about certain politicians and their reaction to this horrifying incident. I honestly believe the Kerela CM should step down, as he is incompetent to be in that position. His comments towards the Unnikrishnan family is totally uncalled for, and the most horrible part is that he does not feel even an ounce of remorse. As the CM of a state it was extremely wrong of him to comment in the manner in which he did.
Next Mr.R.R.Patil stating that the Mumbai blasts were a small issue. Honestly I’d like to see him held at gun-point and locked within his own house for 60 hours and see how he takes it. There were loss of lives and bloodshed, families losing their loved ones, not only Indian citizens but also foreigners, and he considers it a small issue??? He deserved the removal from his position.
This was one time time too much, they should know it. We are filled with anger and sorrow at what has happened. The politicians are to blame, everyone else has played their part. The jawans have thrown themselves fearlessly in the path of danger time and again, but what have the politicians done?? sat and made plans, and when the danger has passed they have come out and given statements. Its true that we have voted for them, but we did that in the hopes that maybe the new govt wil be better than the last, but so far they have all let us down.
I as a citizen of India request them with folded hands to be more responsible. Its time to stop talking and start doing.