by Anita Mendiratta | Sep 4, 2011
For anyone who has ever suffered the loss of a loved one, the days building up to the day of remembrance are days building up to a crescendo of heartache. Breathing becomes heavier, thoughts slower, memories sharper. September 11th, 2011, ten years after those frozen moments in time that reshaped the world forever, is just a few days away. One never ‘gets over it’ – at best one hopes to get through it, dragging one’s heart close behind, looking forward at the future with new eyes.
9-11. So much must never be forgotten.
by Anita Mendiratta | Aug 25, 2011
Over the past week, the world has been gripped by events in Libya. Following months of battle and determination, on both the parts of the defiant regime of Colonel Gadhafi and the rebels, the battle reached a dramatic climax: Tripoli began to fall to the rebels. The night’s sky, previously lit for months by gunfire from armed and ambitious battle, turned to a showering of gunfire sparks in celebration of the rebel’s breakthrough into Colonel Gadhafi’s compound, itself a symbol of the leader’s fortress of control over the people of Libya. While total take-over continues, the cracks are widening, weakening the foundations once embedded by Moammar Gadhafi.
During the moments of initial triumph, the images were remarkable, the soundbytes intense, and the coverage clear in the sense of euphoria easily digestible by the minds of the millions watching on-line and on-air all over the world. Though the former leader of this oil-rich, liberty-poor nation remains in hiding, the US$ 1.4million bounty put forward by a Libyan businessman is hoped to fuel the search and capture of Libya’s falling leader. Time will tell.
As the story unfolded, it was impossible for global audiences not to feel a sense of ‘deja vu‘. Once again, audiences were given a front seat in the making of history. The Arab Spring, now stretching wider and deeper into the North Africa and Middle East region, brought the story of our changing world to us wherever in the world we were. The expectation is of similar stories and soundbytes occurring elsewhere in the region as the spirit and determination of revolution spreads. Our minds are ready – we see it, we understand it, we move onto the next story.
Sadly, as familiarity increases, feeling decreases.
And then something happens that reawakens our senses, squeezing our hearts and minds in with a clench of panic and concern. RIXOS Hotel.
While Tripoli was falling to the rebels, and the people of Libya were taking to the streets to celebrate the toppling of their heavy-handed, decades-long leader, 30 international news journalists were taking cover inside the Rixos Hotel. Being held against their will and under constant fear for their safety, news gatherers suddenly became the news story. For five horrific days, Gadhafi loyalist gunmen aggressively prevented news teams from leaving the hotel, leaving those being held in a constant state of fear.
Watching the story unfold, even for audiences, images turned into feelings of intense fear and concern – this was reality TV in a whole, new, frightening new light. The characters were not strangers. These captives were people who millions of people welcome into their homes, offices and social spaces every day, easily recognisable and immediately feared for. These people, these familiar news faces, were now ‘insiders’ in the line of fire. These moments of crisis were real.
Adding a remarkable realness to the unfolding situation, was social media. Twitter in particular – became a source of not only communication of events within the hotel, but also a monitor of the strained nerves and hearts of those being held captive. CNN’s Matthew Chance @mchancecnn, a seasoned international journalist who has represented CNN across the globe, held onto a thread of connection with the outside world through his periodic tweets. Information updates rapidly turned to emotional expression of the nightmare unfolding. Reading his short messages, a rawness of danger seeped through his words, turning learning what was happening into feeling what was inescapable. And it felt horrific. Here is Matthew’s BACKSTORY of those days of dread: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/08/24/bs.chance.freed.roxis.cnn?hpt=hp_c2
Thankfully, the journalists and their crews were released on August 24th. While they have been freed, the darkness of those days will always hold a part of their minds captive.
To the outside world, these brave individuals unlocked not just the inside story, but a part of all of our watching the world minds and hearts, ensuring that news is never simply watched. It must also be felt.
As our world changes, so too is how we watch the world. When making sense of it all, our eyes and ears serve us most when acting as a channel to not just our minds, but our hearts. Our ability to understand the world starts with seeing. It is exponentially magnified, and appreciated, with feeling.
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2011
by Anita Mendiratta | Jul 10, 2011
The newswires of the world have been electric over the past week as News of the World readies to publish its last paper on July 10th/2011, ending the life of one of the UK’s best known tabloids that took its first breath in 1843. Over 200 staff members, all who will be unemployed on Monday morning, are hard at work in the newsroom clicking out stories and soundbytes for the last time, tears running down the faces of some of the staff members as they soak up all that has happened to their newspaper – why they have become the news…and why their story is coming to such a tragic end.
The events leading up to this media headline have raised a number of critical issues. The spark was set within the newspaper environment. How could a tabloid cross such a line in search of a scoop? Yes, NotW had built a reputation for dirty tricks to get the dirt. But this?
Soon the fire spread to ‘the media’ at large. Public opinion turned to openly damning ‘the media’. Opinion increased in aggression and accusation.
What has been interesting to see is how open public opinion about private information became. Sweeping statements about ‘the media’ put all journalists across all media types and all media brands into the same dustbin. What happened at NotW has been deemed a just action for ‘the media’ acting so irresponsibly.
This matter is not about newspapers. It is not about ‘the media’. It is about ethics – the ethics held by each and every individual with a story to tell or an opinion to express. It is about each and every one of us. Within the professional media world are there people willing to cross the line? Absolutely. But there are others who also stand firmly in respect for the line, proud of their ability to know where the line is…and that they refuse to put a foot wrong. It is individual. It always is.
In today’s day and age, where for some citizen journalism has gained as must weight as official news gathering, we have become ‘the media’. The information, suspicions, opinions, hunches and stories we have are able to be spread across the world in a matter of seconds. All it takes is the click of a SEND key. Suddenly, instantly, widely and often with fire and fury, the story is out there. True or false. Just or unjust. Private or public.
As a result, the old adage where there’s smoke there’s fire no longer holds true. Now where there’s smoke there may just be smoke. But the impact can start a fire. The fire, spreading through opinion, can cause significant damage to reputations, relationships, lives and legacies. Without enough information, or invitation, public opinion fuels the fire.
Is the case against DSK credible? Will it last?
Is the marriage of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene for love? Will it last?
Is Southern Sudan going to make it as an independent nation? Will it last?
We are so busy commenting outwards, creating community of commentary and criticism, that we lose sight of our individual responsibility of having an opinion in the first place. To create opinions is natural – we take in, process and restructure information based on our world view and our inner code. It is natural. What is unnatural is how our e-connected world inspires us to share that opinion to the world – our ‘friends’, ‘followers’ and other members of our e-audiences.
But does that mean we should be expressing our opinion? Is the subject at hand really any of our business? What good can come from it, aside from the elevation of ego for expressing an opinion about everything sexy and sensationalist? And if the people at the heart of the story were present, would we be so quick to hit the SEND button?
The issue sparked by NotW was not a debate about the right to information vs. the right to privacy. It was about right and wrong. Simple.
Hopefully, hopefully, NotW will stand as not just an example, but as a mirror, reminding us all to stop and look closely at the consequences of our opinions. Our connected world was created to bring us closer together. How we use it defines whether we achieve that idealistic goal, or we actually end up pushing each other apart.
Whether ‘the media’ or the individual, now is the opportunity to pause, and before hitting the SEND button, hitting REFRESH.
But that is just my opinion.
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2011
by Anita Mendiratta | Jul 9, 2011
The newswires of the world have been electric over the past week as News of the World readies to publish its last paper on July 10th/2011, ending the life of one of the UK’s best known tabloids that took its first breath in 1843. Over 200 staff members, all who will be unemployed on Monday morning, are hard at work in the newsroom clicking out stories and soundbytes for the last time, tears running down the faces of some of the staff members as they soak up all that has happened to their newspaper – why they have become the news…and why their story is coming to such a tragic end.
Newspaper
media
Ethics
‘the media’ / responsible media – we are the media
Citizen journalism
Smoke, no fire
Right to info vs right to privacy
Right and wrong
All have opinion
All have responsibility
Refresh button
Is the case against DSK credible? Will it last?
Is the marriage of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene for love? Will it last?
Is Southern Sudan going to make it as an independent nation? Will it last?
by Anita Mendiratta | Jun 28, 2011
One of the most valuable currencies in today’s day and age is CONFIDENCE.
The ability to generate within oneself a firm sense of belief, fueled by absolute clarity and conviction, creates a powerful force of nature. Confidence. With confidence leaders of nations and businesses have been able to transform the fates of their people, be they nationals, employees, shareholders, investors, whatever the case may be. Particularly in these times of immense economic, social and ideological challenge.
Confidence is not found within all people, or within all situations. For alchemy to occur, the generation of confidence demands courage, it demands a clear view of the future, it demands unwavering effort.
For onlookers, it is both intriguing and inspiring. And it can provoke a silent smile of ‘bravo!’. That is, when such confident, sometimes incomprehensible acts, are fully understood.
On a recent episode of Fareed Zakaria’s GPS, one of CNN’s finest programmes exploring our geo-politically changing times, Fareed put the spotlight on a nation that is making a dramatic move in literally changing the times. The issue: SAMOA, a tiny island nation in the South Pacific, has taken the brave decision to change its position on the International Date Line, moving from being GMT-11 to GMT+11. One single step, one day lost (December 30th, 2011 to facilitate the shift), a massive gain for the nation.
http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2011/06/26/gps.samoa.shorter.2011.cnn.html
When news first broke of Samoa’s desire to change its timezone, the idea spread around the world as an amusing ‘because I can’ move. Little thought or credit was given to exactly why such a change, like the nation’s switch earlier in 2009 from driving on the right of the road to driving on the left, was occurring.
To look beyond the WHAT and deeper into the WHY reveals some remarkable, and remarkably confident, insight. It is all about the future – making a confident move to move the nation confidently forward in the future. From this perspective it all makes perfect sense, especially economically. A shift in time zone enables the tiny nation to make a big step forward in terms of leverage of regional commerce. Especially trade into and out of Samoa.
What is fascinating about the story of Samoa and its change in time zone, beyond the economic rationale, is the lovely example it gives of the level playing field that exists for a world on the move.
Regardless of size, stature and securities, a nation with a confident view of the future can dramatically change its position as an economy and society by taking even small steps in shaping its way of working with the world. One of the great things about the case of Samoa is how under-the-radar the nation, and region, has moved forward.
Confidence need not be noisy. Quiet, focused confidence can be far more impactful, and competitively potent, than high profile self-promotion.
Indeed, these are changing times. Small is gaining strength, quiet is making noise, subtle changes are having immense impact. Amusing is in fact astute. Confidence is as powerful as cash. And time is proving priceless.
Copyright: ANITA MENDIRATTA 2011
