Crime Reporting on Elderly in Odisha Newspapers: a Critical Discourse Analysis *Ruby Nanda Ph.D
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Crime Reporting on Elderly in Odisha Newspapers: A Critical Discourse Analysis *Ruby Nanda Ph.D. research scholar Utkal University **Dr. Prajna Paramita Panigrahi English (MA, M.Phil., Ph.D.) Asst. Professor Utkal University (DDCE) Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar Odisha India Abstract: The paper critically analyses crime against elderly as reported in news media especially in print newspapers. It deals with the analysis of a brutal double murder of a retired doctor couple. With the rise in numbers of those livings alone increasing rapidly, the elderly are becoming soft targets for organised crime. This paper analyses a single event which was covered by all leading news papers in Odisha due to its sensational nature. By using critical discourse analysis of the murder report the paper proposes to find social construction of violence against elderly, ideological bent of journalists, socio-cultural context in media reporting of an incident that shook the conscience of the state. We also made an attempt to find the impact and sensitivity with which the case has been covered in the newspapers. Key words: Crime reporting, Elderly, Double murder, Newspaper, Critical discourse analysis, Violence www.ijellh.com 169 Introduction: This paper is a critical analysis on news reporting of crime against elderly. With the break down of the joint family especially the urban areas, the elderly are by choice or are forced to remain alone (Kar.N, 2010)1. With increase in crime rate, the senior citizens are easy targets by criminals and anti-social elements.( Das, P. K.,2009)2 In Odisha‟s capital Bhubaneswar, which is fastest developing city in India. The case in study was a double murder of a retired elderly doctor couple living alone in Shailshree Vihar area of Bhubaneswar took place on 15. 11. 2015. On Sunday morning (15.11.2015), Prafulla Mishra, an ophthalmologist and his pathologist wife Sushma Mishra, both 73 year-old, were found dead in their house by their two sons. What shocked the public was that the husband and wife lived in their own home in a thickly populated residential area. They have three sons, two of them localities. The electronic media went into an over drive, while all other news platforms also covered the event. It revived the memories of a similar murder attempt on an aged couple in Acharaya Vihar, were the wife 75 year-old Jyotidebi Panigrahi was killed while the seriously injured 81 year-old husband Kunjabihari was in coma after sustaining serious injuries in the attack, he died three months after the incident. In recent years, we have seen an increasing trend in crime against the elderly. These crimes often make a sensational headline. They are covered as the story of the day for high TRPs especially in the electronic media. Print media is not far behind in gaining from such sensational news. This kind of news infuses a sense of panic and terror in publics. The news reports based on sensationalism projects the elderly as dependent, weak and venerable. There is no attempt to verify the cause of the incident, provide background or supporting quotes. This paper uses a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to investigate the ideological work of media texts.. Our investigation focuses on a single sensational double murder which happened on 15th November 2015 in Shailshree Vihar, in early morning around 5:30 am to 6:30 am. The reason for taking this case is because it is created media hype across the state. The brutal murder of couple by their domestic help of five years was covered by every single media in the state. www.ijellh.com 170 The elderly couple, both retired doctors used to live alone. This incident got a wide media coverage in the local media. Loot was considered as the prime motive and the police have since arrested all the eight accused in the case. The paper studies the language used in the news report and analyses it at macro and micro levels by using a form of Critical Discourse Analysis. It tries to find out the difference between the myth of reporting the facts and the reality of the construct of the killing report with a definite perceptive, by looking at the „perspectives‟ given in the reports (Edward Haig, 2008)3. The paper also attempts to find out whether these news reports try to maintain the present social order or try to change it. Critical Discourse Analysis in Newspaper Critical discourse analysis is a type of analytical research that studies patterns of social inequality, dominance, abuse of power, the status quo maintained as well as repealed in a text or discourse in society as well as politics (Van Dijik, 1998)4. CDA can investigate the textual dominance by the powerful in the society towards the marginalised. Thus a critical discourse analysis tries investigating the social as well as political ideologies which undermine the marginalised and bring out the power struggle between the have and the have-nots. CDA studies not only the textual and speech description but also understands how the discourse is constructed and the linguistic structures chosen. CDA also focuses on the ideology used in a text as it is seen as an important means of establishing and maintaining unequal power relations (Wodak 2002)5. True to the saying, power comes from the pen; a person can control a social occasion by means of the genre of a text and perspectives. Newspaper writing also has a particular pattern of language to meditate various ideologies, especially on social issues. This is opposed to the journalistic norms “reporting something called „news‟ without comment, slant, or shaping its formulation”. (Schudson 2001)6 Journalists and media have complete control over the news report and use the genre in order to mediate various ideologies, thereby, controlling the minds of their readers. www.ijellh.com 171 Data Analysis Data for this study comprise of five English newspapers, The Times of India, The Telegraph, The Statesman, and The New Indian Express. The news reports on 16.11.2015, the next day of the murder of elderly couple, Prafulla Mishra, an ophthalmologist and his pathologist wife Sushma Mishra, 73 year-old, were analysed in the paper. No follow up story came out on 17.11.2015 about the incident. The Times of India is the most popular English daily newspaper in the country. The New Indian Express is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper known for its intrepid and anti-establishment tone. The New Indian Express is published from 22 centres in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Odisha. The Telegraph and The Statesman both have Odisha editions and are English- language broadsheet daily newspapers. While, The New Indian Express, The Statesman and The Telegraph covered the event with a front page murder report each. The Times of India carried three news items: Front page: murder report, Page 3: Parents neglect, Page 4: Culprits known to the victims. Findings and Discussion An analysis of reporting style of the four primary English newspapers in Odisha shows how the news was covered. All the newspapers carried the news report on their front page. It was found that no other newspaper other than The Times of India carried a second news item based on the murder. In The Times of India, the first page report was the news report about the murder in the front page. The second item was a speculative article about whether the elderly were soft targets and children were negligent. The third report dealt with whether the assailants were known to the victims. The New Indian Express, The Statesman only carried the bare report there was no attempt at any analysis or a side feature. The Telegraph report of public reinforced the fear and lack of police action for crime against elderly. Placement www.ijellh.com 172 All the three newspapers carried the news report in the first page, thereby, giving importance to the news. The Times of India carried the news in the top half. Tonality: The Times of India The murder report calls the incident “high profile murders”; while the introduction said that they were simple, elderly and retired 73 year-old doctor couple. The headline of the report says “Robbers murder doctor couple in Sailshree Vihar” while the inside text says that the prime accused might be maid servants. Third page news report in The Times of India is a highly coloured soft news with a suggestive headline: “Home Alone, senior citizens easy targets” while „cops blame children for neglecting parents‟ as its sub heading. The article clearly shifts the onus of the crime on elderly from the police to the children for not staying with their parents or neglecting their safety. The police were said to be “shocked” to realise the fact that there was no police verification of the servants. The tone is highly accusatory with a police officer blaming the couples‟ children for not deputing a security guard and CCTV camera at their parents‟ house. A top police official, the police commissioner, has been quoted as saying that police are regularly visiting “neglected senior citizens” and are engaging in interactions with elderly citizens as well as ensuring their safety. The report seems to be biased as the report did not have quotes from any of the three sons, while two of them were staying in Bhubaneswar itself. The New Indian Express It had a much balanced news report with personal details of the murdered couple. The report mentioned their previous department where they worked and their children. It also revealed that the couple were not getting any pension and were financially supported by their three sons.