There should be a holistic approach in the mainstream media towards coverage which can contribute to ensuring the rights of the PwDs
The insensitivity of the people of the country towards the differently abled is nothing new. In 2014, Satendra Singh, a person with disabilities (PwD) faced humiliation at the Hyderabad Airport while undergoing a security check under the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) guidelines. The disability rights activist, who was on his way to speak at the International Conference on Evidence in Global Disability and Health, in Hyderabad was asked to remove the callipers he uses for walking, resulting in humiliation and harassment. This was in direct violation of his fundamental rights under Articles 15 and 21 of the Constitution. And this is not an isolated incident. Scores of PwDs face humiliation at the hands of their fellow citizens in the country on a daily basis. Hence, it is not surprising that the media, too, ignores the plight and daily struggles of divyangs in India. It was only because Satendra Singh was a high-profile person that his nightmarish experience was reported extensively across the country.
Even today, the situation has not changed much in India. While scores of differently abled people are struggling for survival during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the news media is chasing celebrities like Kangana Ranaut and her ongoing spats with actors and politicians of all hues.
Even though the PwDs were in penury, their tales of woe went unheard and unheeded. The addressable mechanism for the differently abled from governmental apparatus is potentially developing an urban-rural dichotomy. Diversity, equity and inclusion remain a distant dream for the PwDs who represent 2.21 per cent of India’s total population.
The media, being the fourth pillar of democracy, has the responsibility to highlight the issues that the marginalised sections of society, including the PwDs, face in the country. Particularly during such uncertain times that leave them more vulnerable than before.
However, the lack of objective reporting, a plethora of paid news, unethical engagement with the public and advertising agencies, high- decibel and manufactured television debates leave little space for genuine problems of the common man, leave alone the highly-marginalised PwDs. Instead, Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC), Television Rating Points (TRPs) and pay-per-click (PPC) are the decisive factors, determining news value and coverage these days. Suffice to say, the ethical compass of the news media, especially that of television channels, has gone completely awry.
Despite the Accessible India Campaign, accessibility to public institutions remains well-nigh impossible. Several Government establishments are not PwD-friendly. Women with disabilities are doubly marginalised and the gender inequality dimensions have come to the fore like never before.
While the PwDs in urban areas have a voice at least, unfortunately, the differently abled residing in rural pockets are facing double discrimination. The inclusive approach to address their issues has been diluted. This has further posed a threat to achieve the United Nation’s sustainable development goals.
Suffice to say, the media’s job is to highlight the issues pertaining to the PwDs. However, disability rights are being violated time and again and the media remains a mute spectator. The media’s disconnect with disability throws up numerous questions.
It is only around December and January, when the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and the World Braille Day are observed on December 3 and January 4, respectively, that some token coverage is given to the woes of the differently abled. Despite the growing level of activism on rights of the PwDs, the coverage largely remains sporadic and the emphasis is on the rehabilitative model of disability.
Newsrooms and reporters pan-India are facing flak for their mannerism and lack of sensitivity and awareness on disability issues. The language used is yet to be socially and politically inclusive. The narrative on the gender and rural-urban dichotomy is missing which has invited discontent among the rights activists. Moreover, even though India is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the Indian media does not heed the guidelines on reporting on disability that have been brought out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
News value and media ethics should not be swayed by ABC, TRP and PPC, which are market driven. There should be a holistic approach in the mainstream media towards coverage which can contribute to ensuring the rights of the PwDs in one of the largest democratic countries of the world. Media literacy is the pressing need of the hour and we cannot ignore it for too long.
(Biswal and Chakraborty are Assistant Professors at SIMC and SIBM respectively and are working at Symbiosis International, Pune)
