Channel Seven News vs India

Mike Duffy taking a "bomb" into a "secure" area in Delhi, Source: Media Watch, ABC

In the lead-up to the Delhi Commonwealth Games, it seemed Channel Seven News was quite bored and in need of a juicy conflict to comment on. With the Games yet to start, and like many other news outlets, they aired several stories about Delhi’s apparent lack of security. Seven’s coverage in one case bordered on stupid, and in the other smashed ethical boundaries down with a sledgehammer.

Louise Milligan’s report on the uncertainty and fears surrounding the opening of the Commonwealth Games started off satisfactorily enough, with an interview with the Indian High Commissioner.

But then, with no warning and no explanation, Milligan brought up the concern over the wellbeing of Indian students in Australia and declared it “hysteria”.  The concerns were completely unjustified, Milligan said, because the ratio of Australians killed in India is far greater than Indians killed in Australia. ‘Nuff said, stop whining.

Louise Milligan in her report at the University Melbourne for some reason, Source: Seven News Melbourne

OK, overlooking the irrelevance of the assaults on Indian students to the Commonwealth Games to begin with, maybe Milligan had something there – according to her report, of the 400,000 Indians living in Australia 3 have been killed in the last 3 years, compared to the 4 Australians killed of the 1000 living in India. Comparing Australia to India, with its population 50 times larger than Australia’s, its higher crime rate and terrorist attacks, seems a bit trite, and just for good measure, Milligan then made another jump without warning, informing us that the number of international students enrolling in Australian universities has dropped. Um…so?

Milligan seemed determined to show the world that any “hysteria” the Indian media could dredge up, the Australian media could haul up and dance around. But the story Channel Seven have come under serious attack for is Mike Duffy’s report on India’s lack of security, with Duffy apparently going undercover to buy the parts for a bomb in Delhi and then walk them into the Games precinct.

At least, that’s what Duffy and Channel Seven said happened. The ABC’s Media Watch revealed how much of a sham the story was, with the piece edited carefully and the voice-over leaving out crucial details such as the fact the case supposedly holding a bomb was empty, that Duffy’s reaction to the bomb test was entirely acting and that the section of road he was walking into was not meant to be protected by high-level security.

Media Watch dedicated an entire episode to Duffy's story, Source: Media Watch

The story seriously flaunts, ignores and even laughs at the Australian Journalists’ Association’s code of ethics, which lists ‘honesty, fairness, independence and respect for the rights of others’ as the pillars of good journalism. The very first section states that journalists must: “Report and interpret honestly, striving for accuracy, fairness and disclosure of all essential facts.  Do not suppress relevant available facts, or give distorting emphasis.  Do your utmost  to give a fair opportunity for reply.”

Ahem.

Thankfully, the Games started the next week, forcing any media outlets still wanting to see bridge collapses to report on Australia’s 517 gold bloody medals instead.