For the last couple of days, most of us have watched our television screens with horror, sadness and despair. We have felt heartsick hearing the news of people hiding, dying, their families and friends waiting anxiously, valiant security personnel losing their lives in their attempts to bring the carnage in Mumbai to an end.

We have also been stunned by the tactlessness some newspersons across the media have displayed when they ask the family members of those trapped inside the besieged buildings “how do you feel now” that their spouse/parent/child/sibling is inside, or when we hear them saying the terrorists are putting up a “spectacular” terror show. (These are only a couple of examples, this post  is another example of how viewers are reacting.) Granted that live, and unrelenting, television reporting in situations such as this has its constraints, and language skills are not high on the priority list, but what we are communicating needs to reflect the gravity of the situation, and that can only come from choosing the right words.  Here are some links on how to report with sensitivity in the midst of crises:

http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=5879

http://www.britishcouncil.org/professionals-specialisms-journalism-2-3.htm

 Posted by Sravanthi Challapalli