Homophobia in the media: What public interest did this TV sting op serve?

News channel TV9’s report on homosexuals in Hyderabad raises serious questions on sting operations — since when did ‘exposing’ private lives, ones without corrupt or criminal connections, become justifiable?

After Tv9 ‘revealed’ that it was largely software professionals and students who ‘fell prey to this gay culture’, social networking sites expressed disgust. Many members put TV9’s logo as their profile pictures, dared the channel to “Put me on TV too!” Youtube received such overwhelming response that it removed the offensive video from their site.

Siddharath Narrain of Alternate Law Forum says, “The law on right to privacy is weak. But there are court rulings on sting operations that state that certain rules and ethics must be followed, that no false information must be printed and that there should be some recognisable public interest. What public interest did this ‘sting’ serve?”

Aditya Bondyopadhyay, advocate and director, Adhikaar, a Delhi-based organisation that works for LGBT human rights, sent a notice to the channel, demanding that an apology be aired. “This seems to be a jihad of sorts, as if they’re trying to ‘correct’ wrongs in society.”

On Friday, Mumbai’s LGBT community with members of the Humsafar Trust went to TV9’s office with banners and white roses.

Sonal Giani, the trust’s advocacy officer says she was taken aback when the editor, Srinivasan Reddy, called the telecast an ‘accident’. “He said two parents called them up claiming two boys were ‘luring their sons into these practices’,” says Giani. “They didn’t apologise or appear regretful,” she adds.

In Bangalore, citizens have started a signature campaign and will hold a silent protest at Mahatma Gandhi statue on Monday.
Homophobia amongst some media houses isn’t new. In 2007, a private gay party was raided in Thane after an India TV reporter tipped off the police. More recently, in Saharanpur there was a similar incident where the LGBT community was harassed. TV9 aired the story in Bangalore on Thursday, and highlighted the issue of sex in public. Narrain says the News Broadcast Association (NBA) has clear guidelines on privacy and sting operations and the channels — TV9 and News9 — have become members just six months ago.

L Romal M Singh, a journalist and gay rights activist who worked with TV9 in Bangalore, said he is appalled, “It is a poorly researched, negative story. TV9 fancies itself to a pseudo-watchdog. It just went about naming and shaming people.”

Bondyopadhyay emphasised on the channel’s insensitivity to garner high TRP’s. “TV9 didn’t speak to anyone from the community. Telecasts like this entice violence. It is ironical that a media house wants to play that role for higher TRPs.” He feels the damage is done, and it’s important that TV9 accepts and airs an apology. “If they do not respond by March 3…we’ll take the matter ahead.”

The only positive thing, says Bondyopadhyay is that this was the visible uproar from the community. A few years ago, TV9 placed spycams in public toilets to ‘show what gays are up to’. But the community was too scared to oppose it. Since homosexuality has been decriminalised, the community is making their anger known to all the right people.”

With inputs from Kareena N Gianani, Mumbai