The Great Indian Media Circus

This does not involve any sort of discourse on the sensationalistic and yellow nature that most papers and channels are acquiring. It instead involves the tight-rope walking and hanging upside-down from a trapeze trying to contact the media to cover the ACE quiz 2008. Asha taught me the basics of media more than three years of an undergrad degree in Journalism could teach.

All's well that ends well. So channels did turn up to cover the event on D-day. Papers did carry bulletins on the ACE quiz in the run-up to the event. The crazy number of phone calls and e-mails paid off. Hallelujah and Hark! The Herald Angels sing!

However, an accident ho gaya moment in the media circus came on June 14th when a reporter from a channel asked if she could speak to a few participants on the ACE quiz experience. "Sure! Let me go inside and check, if any participants are willing to speak to the camera!" I opened the door and saw two participants whom I knew. "Hey! Here are a couple of participants!" And I turned to the reporter, just about to introduce them to her, when a zero-watt bulb did a little fire-fly dance in the dimbulb brain. "Oh! And these participants are leaving!" I announced cheerfully to the reporter, avoided meeting their gaze and walked on inside, found other people who agreed to speak and led them out. A near disaster was averted. It was unarguably a slightly blonde moment. The participants whom I earlier met near the exit, were from another local news channel. :-o