“Fair is foul, and foul is fair; hover through the fog and filthy air.” Does this quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth describe the election campaign of 2014? – asks Barkha Dutt of NDTV. Election season is good business for media. They get lots of ads from political parties. The TRP’s increase. They get their panelists easy as everyone has an opinion on elections. So, once in 5 years they decide to move out of their tiny studios, in the heat of summer, to capture the mood of the nation. It’s called real reporting of realpolitik. Editors-at-large of all top channels are out there in the field. Making an already ‘aware’ audience aware about ‘realpolitik’. To show on as-is-where-is basis. An unbiased, fair report of ground reality. Without exaggeration. Without manipulation. This is how they do it: Scene 1: Sagarika Ghosh is surrounded by 100 odd people in a controversial and sensitive location. Camera is moving unnecessarily to create a false mechanical energy. And tension. It seems as if the fate of humanity is going to be decided. Now and here. SG: Who will you vote? Local: Modi. SG: Modi? Why? Local: Because he is the best for the country. SG. …he is the best… But what about 2002? Local: What about it? SG: People say he is divisive and Muslims are not safe. Local: We get lots of Muslims from Gujarat and they say they are very happy and secured…. SG: What about Rahul Gandhi. BIG LAUGHTER FROM CROWD. SG: What about AAP? Local: What is AAP? SG: Arvind Kejri.. Local: Never. He ran away. Coward. SG: So according to you there is a Modi wave? Local: Modi wave? there is only heat wave… She takes the mike from him but we can hear him faintly complete his sentence. Local: (distant)… but there is Modi storm… Modi tsunami… SG, very upset, moves away from him. SG: (to the camera) there is only heat wave, no Modi wave… say locals… Scene no. 2 (Barkha Dutt loves to report about killings of Muslims and Pigeons with the same passion. Once she said Five people killed, Two Muslims. I don’t know what kind of sense does that make.) Barkha Dutt, in a heritage UP town. Surrounded by people who refuse to look away from the camera. Scene 3; Rahul Kanwal of Headlines Today, in his Election Express – an innovation : Who will you vote for? Farmer: We will vote for Narendra Modi. RK: But your leader is Ajit Singh, don’t you support him? Farmer: Yes we support Ajit Singh but we’ll vote for Modi, so BJP. RK: But why? Farmer: He is contesting first time from this region, so we will give him a chance. RK: But Modi has not done anything for you, why vote for him? Farmer: We have benefited a lot from Gujarat in our farming techniques and received a lot of help from Gujarat. Moves away from the farmer. HT report on AAP candidates.
