Nepalese upset with Indian media over 'sensationalised' coverage

As India carried out relief operations in quake-hit Nepal, a section of the Indian media drew ire on social media for “injecting sensationalism” in its coverage of the tragedy that struck the Himalayan nation.

The Nepalese television crew was bristling with anger as they felt “deprived” of the opportunity to join the rescue teams as they air-dropped relief material in far-flung areas. In a blog published on CNN, Sunita Shakya of Nepali origin writes, “Your media and media personnel are acting like they are shooting some kind of family serials.”

“Thanks to tons of reporters who came to Nepal from those rescue planes of India, you took a seat where a victim could be transported to hospitals/ health camps.

Thanks to you all reporters, you took a seat where a bag of food and supplies could be placed to send to those hard-hit places,” she added.

India’s Ambassador to Nepal Ranjeet Rae was quick to clarify that the outburst against a section of the media was limited to the virtual world.

“No, the Nepalese government has not said anything to us. There was a strong reaction on social networking sites to the reportage of a section of the Indian media,” Rae told Deccan Herald here.

Rae said there was a feeling that the focus of the Indian media was more on the evacuation of Indian nationals than the tragedy that has befallen on Nepal. On Sunday evening #GoHomeIndianMedia was the top trending hashtag on Twitter in Nepal with more than 60,000 tweets on the topic.

Kunda Dixit, a veteran journalist, was quoted as saying that some Nepalese, not all, feel Indian media was a bit patronising in their attitude and that was perhaps why such sentiments were being expressed.