DNA Edit: Watchdog syndrome – No sober assessment sought, only reputations are sullied

The media loves to live up to its image of being newshounds and watchdogs — particularly in moments of tension and crisis. It is one thing to dislike Prime Minister Narendra Modi and quite another to show your country in a bad light because there is a chance to pull down the PM. India witnessed a major letdown in Chandrayaan-2 space mission when the communications with the landing rover failed in the early hours of Saturday. After news of the communication loss was released, ISRO chief K Sivan made the announcement. In the following hours, a press conference where an ISRO scientist, DP Karnik, was addressing the media on the outcome of the mission, a video captured a journalist heckling him amid the tension and confusion. “In such a situation, shouldn’t the chief be present?” the journalist can be heard yelling. 

To add insult, he is also heard asking why a “junior” scientist is holding the news conference, instead of the chief. The poor man on stage looks positively shaken up by the journalist heckling him. The video of this exchange went viral on Twitter, with multiple people tagging the journalist — who belonged to one particular TV channel currently under government probe — and sharing how they felt it was wrong of him to yell his question during such a time. The journalist has since then apologised, but such behaviour raises larger questions. Scientific experiments do go wrong: NASA details reveal that of a total of 109 lunar missions since 1958, only 61 have been successful. So Chandrayaan-2 is by no means a dishonourable exception. Instead of seeking a sober appraisal of how things went wrong, the attempt to sensationalise the issue at the cost of the nation is highly regrettable.