Reacting against media reports which have made a severe dent to Uttarakhand’s image, the State Government has condemned the media reports and said that media should refrain from sensationalising news.
A senior Government officer also asked several questions like: was media prepared to cover this catastropheIJ Had they been to the forest, where they have been claiming that thousands of pilgrims’ dead bodies are lying in Kedar ValleyIJ During criticism, media often makes comparison with USA; so he asked had the US media run stories to demean their Government after 9/11IJ
He further said that “you go to any helipad and media persons are making a beeline seeking lift in helicopter and same media claims that they have been told about several dead bodies.” He also appealed that media should not take this nature’s fury for spicy news. Instead of doing so, they should be a part of rescue and relief work, he said.
He said, “If you scrutinise media reports, then they have been showing how the army is rescuing pilgrims in distress. If the Government failed to take precautionary measures, then did media anticipate such devastationIJ” He further said that it is right that if “we would have taken few steps, then human loss might have been lesser than now; but it does not mean that we can manage such catastrophe”.
The officer further said that media persons should behave like responsible citizens first and instead of criticism, “they should guide us because nobody was prepared for this. They should also avoid believing in rumours because several people say several things; so before making it news they should check with their sources; otherwise they can play with the story; but they can’t imagine how much its impact would be”.