When the Media Becomes the Story

The media became the story during November’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Traditional role stereotypes were shredded with aplomb during that 60-hour drama, as the media became not merely the channel of information flow to an anxious audience, but the agent of a very public catharsis of emotion.

Two themes contended for attention in the political reaction to the media coverage of Mumbai’s horror. First was the concern that relentless live coverage may well have limited the scope and effectiveness of the security operations. Second was the worry that media coverage had deeply dented public confidence, fuelled anxieties and created an environment in which the appearance of drastic action, rather than prudence, became the priority.