'Be curious, not judgmental' - Walt Whitman

All normal human beings are basically good people but in the sub conscious or in the alter-ego (whatever psychologists may call it) of most people there is a feeble streak of sadism ; an inclination to gloat over the miseries of others. In most of us it lies dormant; but whenever there is a catalyst to inflame the dormant passion, it comes out. A few years back a young girl hardly out of her teens was brutally murdered, the story made headlines then but the matter is still in court, the alleged perpetrators are still under trial. So what should we do? Forget the sad episode, naturally in the Utopian world but in the real world, someone makes a film recapturing the sad moments of a girl’s life, so that people enjoy watching the story unfolding on the big screen.

Recently, another gruesome murder has been uncovered, the people involved being celebrities of a certain kind, the media is howling with apparent glee over this rare chance to sensationalize the whole issue. The reports read like pages from a Stephen King novel or a script for a horror movie. Is it necessary? There are agencies to investigate the crime and it is hoped that the accused will be brought to justice.

Why this trial by the media? Leave it to the police and the courts of law to handle the issue. Reporting the incidence as a piece of news is acceptable; it is the duty of the media to inform the public but why probe into the more gruesome and murky details of the private lives of the people involved? Allow them some private space (whether they deserve or not); at least let us not play the role of judge, jury and hangman. 

by V.R.Narayanan