You are being bombed by opinion of highly excited anchors, newsroom guests who range from disaster management specialists, bureaucrats, retired army officials, scientists and anyone and everyone who can add to your knowledge about the storm.
Great. But what about coverage from the ground? Five key visuals that are missing from this live, non-stop coverage are:
# Live footage from coastal Orissa and Andhra
It has been pouring since last night in most parts of these two states. The wind speeds, you are being told, are very high. However, not one channel is showing the state of roads, villages, buildings on the ground. You are seeing the same stock shots again and again: of trees swaying in the strong breeze and a stretch of rain-soaked road. You also have a stock shot of monstrous waves being shown again and again. However, no TV channel is telling you where this footage was taken or when.
# Footage of evacuation
You are being told that 6 lakh people have been evacuated or moved to higher grounds ever since the news of Cyclone Phailin broke. You feel happy that the administration has responded so well to the calamity. But how were the people evacuated? Were they taken in state buses? Were they taken in trucks? Or did they leave on their own bullock carts? There has been absolute silence on this key issue. No visuals; and no explanation of how the administration pulled off such a huge exercise.
# Footage of cyclone shelters
Common sense says that the people who have been evacuated must have been transferred to safe places. There has been not one image so far of where people have been housed. What kind of cyclone shelters have been built? Is it the existing school buildings or community centres where they have been taken? What provision has been made for their food, sanitation, hygiene?
# Footage of stalled traffic
You are being told that 56 trains have been cancelled, and routes of another 12 have been changed. But you are yet to see any pictures of passengers who have been stranded on different railways stations. You also are yet to see stalled highway traffic. You have, in fact, no idea of what is happening in terms of movement of food, medicines etc.
# Footage of rescue arrangements
You are being told repeatedly that all forces are on full alert to deal with the damage that Cyclone Phailin is likely to cause. They are waiting to move out and rescue hapless people. One feels proud of India’s armed forces and civil defence personnel, who will be risking their lives to save the lives of common Indians. But can some TV channel tell us how they propose to do this? Where is the command centre, and what activity is happening there?
The feeling you get is that the television newsrooms are the command centres. They are the ones who are going to save India from Cyclone Phailin.
In fact, it was amusing to hear one Hindi TV anchor assuring Indians that they need not worry. The channel and its reporters are with them in this hour of crisis!
The media need not indulge in scare-mongering. It must show the real picture on the ground, and help the administration in the rescue efforts.
(Note: This post was made four hours before the cyclone landed.)