And here we go again :-)
The more I read, the more disgusted I feel. Why do so many of our newspapers and TV channels go out and capture mediocrity. Is it because that's what is popular and sells more. Of course it's true that bad news makes better headlines but surely that doesn't mean one sacrifices a sense of balance and fair play.
Or, does it?
If I were a reporter standing outside a college and spoke to a dozen kids emerging after the CAT tests, what do you think I would capture as verbatims? Would all of them have negative things to say or would there be some who would give the other side of the picture? Common sense tells us it'll be the latter. But the papers would like us to believe it's the former: the world of the CAT 2009 test-taker, according to them, is all black.
I read something that had appeared in the online edition of The Times of India a few days ago in which the Education Minister had asked the IIMs for an explanation. Now we all know that the IIMs are a national treasure but must everything become a political issue? Anyway, that's not the point here... if you read the article, you could be forgiven for thinking that this was a national disaster akin to an earthquake or a tsunami. But, hats off to The Times of India for being the leader they are! I mean how many journalists would publish feedback from their readers even if it contradicts what their own journos say? If you go deeper and read the comments that TOI readers have posted, the real picture emerges: sure, things were bad but not as bad as the reporter made it out to be. Unfortunately, the comments don't seem to have been factored into the main story but the beauty of the digital medium is that it allows readers to express themselves and say their piece - unedited, uncensored. Way to go TOI!
And, great going IBN Live as well: look at their readers' comments as well. They could have edited out the ones that congratulate the IIMs and remained one-sided but, no, they carried both sides of readers' feedback. That's maturity for you. I'd like to buy the editor a paapri-chaat :-)
Listen to Jai here: Do you hear him saying that "there may be glitches" and that he didn't face any? Do you also hear him saying that very few of the practice tests happened online by one of the institutes he studied with?
Or listen to these two people who gave the test the same day at another centre in Gurgaon. Yeah, yeah, I can't be in two places so I got a couple of friends to do their bit and that's how we got some more vox populi captured.
Now, that's something to think about, isn't it? Clearly, they didn't face any problems but will we ever see them in the 'breaking news' sections of all our TV channels?
What's your take on this, folks?
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Its the oldest game in the book man...look at movie reviews. When ppl are comin out of the theatre, the media captures the reactions and only show the edited bits depending on the channels allegiances.
ReplyDeleteWhats happening with the CAT exam is just more of the same much which infects Indian media today.
Duuhh.. Dude.. The point here is that when an exam is not fair to even ONE candidate it is an unfair exam. In 2003, when the paper got leaked, i bet only a few hundred people might have got the leaked paper but they did the re-exam. Why ? Because they wanted to be fair to EACH and EVERY candidate. This is what is absent in the current scenario. I dont blame the media for what they are doing. People always expect things to go well with such exams. When things dont, then the media has to report it. If everything goes well, and there are no issues then its trivial to report it. Imagine a news report which says - "Everything was calm and peaceful in Kashmir today just like the other 200 odd days of the year. People were eating ice cream on the road.." Duuh.. This is definitely not news and no one wants to know it. But what people DO want to know is if anything untoward or unexpected happened. That is what makes NEWS. Of course, quality of the NEWS is definitely an issue and that is a different topic altogether. So, please dont get mixed up with two different issues here. Things went wrong with CAT and media HAS to hype it and report it. Its their job.
ReplyDeleteUh...Mr/Ms Anonymous (wish you would give us a name)... I disagree totally. Any exam can be unfair to anyone - I mean, if one candidate has an upset tummy and needs to run to the loo in the middle of an exam and loses precious time, is it fair? And then, do these exams need to be scrapped? OR will media then report this? 'Delhi belly leads to poor marks for student'? Media has to go beyond reporting bad news only.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the anonymous post. Sonali, i bet you could have given a better example. If things like running to the loo is what you call unfair exam, God Bless you! CAT 09 was unfair because it was not properly managed (the irony being it was an exam for the topmost management institutes); it wasnt managed and the blame goes to the organizations involved.
ReplyDeleteIt wasnt fair to thousands of candidates and thus, IT WAS NOT FAIR. At risk is the candidates' future and it's a lot, considering the number affected. No hype is being created. What is unfair is unfair!
Manisha: agreed that Sonali's example is ludicrous but that doesn't mean Anonymous is right either! I don't think it was unfair though it was tough - there will be hiccups in anything new.
ReplyDeleteThe article is stupid. The media is actually doing the right job by reporting things which went WRONG. Obviously, if everything goes well then why would it be shown on TV channels? Anonymous is absolutely right that even if it is unfair for one, it is unfair as a whole.
ReplyDeleteYes. In my opinion Anonymus is correct. I personally didnt face any problems with my exam, but there are thousands of people who did.. Not because they didnt prepare well, or they had a fever or a bad stomach and had to run to the loo every other minute, but because of things over which they had absolutely no control.
ReplyDelete