Media organizations in Pakistan and India often forget their journalistic responsibilities in the race of TRPs and it was displayed during the elections in both countries amid covid-19 crisis.
The media organizations in both India and Pakistan preferred to give coverage to elections and turned a blind eye to the devastating coronavirus wave.
Although few prominent journalists in India were scornful of the approach of media channels but their counterparts in Pakistan acted completely deaf and mute towards the issue.
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India reported a record 379,257 new infected patients and 3,645 deaths, the highest daily total, so far, on Thursday.
The healthcare system in India is on the verge iof collapse but elections in West Bengal remained the cynosure of the media eyes.
What are the big takeaways from the #IndiaTodayExitPoll? @PradeepGuptaAMI, @sardesairajdeep & @RahulKanwal share their views. pic.twitter.com/49RyiosMwo
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) April 29, 2021
The Indian journalist working day and night for the covid-19 crisis, Barkha Dutt, expressed discontentment over the coverage given to the polls while overlooking the coronavirus crisis.
“If we’re done with the banality of Exit Polls-this is a portrait of India Gasping at an Oxygen ‘Langar’ at a Gurudwara one hour from the capital on a day when we were told there is no shortage of Oxygen”, she wrote.
If we’re done with the banality of Exit Polls-this is a portrait of India Gasping at an Oxygen ‘Langar’ at a Gurudwara one hour from the capital on a day when we were told there is no shortage of Oxygen. My ground report for @themojostory. Trigger Warning: Visuals are Disturbing pic.twitter.com/oeicYKL4qk
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) April 29, 2021
Newsman Rajdeep Sardesai tweeted that whoever is going to win doesn’t matter, the reality of the coronavirus crisis will remain the same.
Exit polls done and dusted: may whoever the voters want win on Sunday. We will return to the reality of the Covid count. Netas will win and lose election battles, citizens need to win this Covid ‘war’! Stay well, stay safe everyone! 🙏
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) April 29, 2021
“We will return to the reality of the covid count. Netas will win and lose election battles, citizens need to win this covid ‘war’!”, he added.
Journalist Rana Ayyub lambasted Indian channels and was of the view that covering exit polls at a moment when India was longing for oxygen seemed inconsiderate.
When thousands of Indians are dying everyday, did Indian news channels really need breathless exit polls coverage. You guys are sick !
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) April 29, 2021
“When thousands of Indians are dying every day, did Indian news channels really need breathless exit polls coverage. You guys are sick!”, she wrote.
On the other hand, superfluous coverage was given to yesterday’s poll in NA-249 in Karachi, Pakistan and channels glossed over swelling calamity.