“Sagarika Ghose is writing against us on Twitter,” a volunteer complained to Arvind Kejrival, as he climbed down from the stage after delivering a speech on why their version of the Bill was better than the government’s. “When she presents her show in the evening, it will go against us,” she said.
Yesterday, Ghose, a senior editor at CNN-IBN, had tweeted her reservations about social activist Anna Hazare’s Jan Lok Pal Bill. At first, Kejrival seemed concerned, though his immediate worry was his falling blood sugar levels. “Is their any chance you can find me something to eat? I think my sugar is falling,” Kejrival told an assistant.
The assistant, who said she had been a media student, disappeared to look for food; only to be replaced by another. “It’s only since the morning that Times Now has been positive. Other English channels are negative about us. While NDTV is hostile, I am more concerned about CNN-IBN. It has more credibility,” he explained to Kejrival.
“But, the Hindi press is on our side,” he added. Kejrival, who finally found an apple to eat, tried to calm him. “Give me a list of all the negative things they have been saying. I will clarify when I go to the stage again.”
MEDIA MANAGEMENT
Backstage, away from the glare of at least 100 television cameras and thousands of supporters, a seven-member team monitors what media and the social-networking world is writing.
“Every morning, we scan newspapers to see what they are writing. Another team is continuously watching television,” said a team member, requesting anonymity. If someone is not in agreement with Hazare, they are approached, he adds.
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“We either write to the editor or try talking to the journalist. But, we can try convincing them only up to a point,” they say. It is hard to ignore that the team is well aware of the positives of keeping the media on their side. At Ramlila Maidan, where Hazare is fasting, elaborate arrangements have been made to facilitate the press, including an exclusive entry gate and scores of volunteers from the NGO ‘India Against Corruption’ to entertain any query. And, the team doesn’t forget to shower occasional praise.
“The press has shown the way forward to the country, when it was not long ago that it was being criticised for being elitist,” declares Kiran Bedi from the stage where Hazare is fasting.
Media attention is oxygen to terrorists, it is often said. But, not just to terrorists, it appears.