This Article is From Sep 11, 2015

Newsroom: The Decision to Use a Dead 3-Year-Old's Photo On Air

(The Newsroom, a new weekly column by Sonia Singh, NDTV's Editorial Director, focuses on the big news stories, how we covered them and why)

The rise and fall of a small chest as a child breathes in his or her sleep is a reassuring sight to parents anywhere in the world. At first sight, that's what little Aylan looked like he was doing, an exhausted child in deep sleep lying on a beach - it was the stillness of his chest that gave it away. The picture flashed on our computers in the newsroom at around 5 pm on Wednesday evening. The reactions even amongst our hardened, most cynical news journalists and editors who have witnessed gruesome, tragic events over the years (from bomb blasts to wars, cinema fires to starvation deaths) were instantaneous and heartfelt. How in a civilized world could this happen?

The accompanying headline from the news agency seemed almost bland and matter-of-fact in its description: '12 migrants killed off the Turkish coast as they attempted to escape Syria, among them 2 children.' Words that fell shamefully short of the tragedy of three-year-old Aylan.

It's a headline in fact that would almost certainly have never made it to the lead story of our news bulletins in normal course. The refugee crisis in Europe had been growing in the last few months, but seemed a distant story for Indian viewers and TV. Ironically, the sheer numbers of people trying to get into Europe, away from war in their countries, had actually reduced this to a story of faceless statistics. The news of over 40 bodies of refugees found in a truck on the weekend had been reported by NDTV, but as little more than a footnote in the focus on other 'breaking' stories like OROP, the Manipur tension, the Sheena Bora murder etc. In India, we joke, there's enough news generated every day to run a 48/7 news channel. More seriously, however, in a quest to tell the stories of a subcontinent, international news (unless it's India-Pakistan) often gets short shrift. A picture of a three -year -old boy changed that.     

At the news meeting that evening, where the top stories for prime time programs are discussed, there was rare unanimity. Our viewers may be more familiar with Sheena Bora than Syria, but it didn't matter. This image blurred national and international news borders. The verdict was unanimous, we must lead with this. The debate then moved to whether the picture may be too disturbing to use. As part of our broadcasting standards, we avoid showing bodies of dead people. In this case, however, we felt the impact would have been zero without the picture of Aylan's body. This wasn't about being ghoulish or voyeuristic, it was about not allowing our audience, a largely Indian one, to turn away from the reality of what is happening, albeit in a distant part of the world. We carried a warning with the picture but decided to go ahead. 

This was a story that was difficult for us to include in our debate shows precisely because the main cast of characters is so far away. It was however the lead in all our bulletins including the very prestigious prime time slot of 10 pm. Our correspondent in Paris, Noopur Tiwari, was commissioned to file a series of special reports from Paris to Calais. Aylan's death changed our perspective, making this a story of immediate news interest, worth investing time and resources in. As part of an extremely competitive world of newsbreaks in India, however, it interested me to see whether other Indian news channels or newspapers would do the same. The prominent ones I saw didn't, and perhaps when it comes to viewership figures, their call may well prove justified. 

I'm glad NDTV did though because I sense this picture will become as iconic as the one of a little girl with her skin peeling off her after a napalm bombing in Vietnam, a picture which changed the way the world viewed that war. The choice we made was mirrored in international news organisations. On Wednesday night, this picture united humanity across the globe.

The waves lapping at little Aylan's body changed the tide of public opinion. World leaders who had hardened their stands on the refugee crisis in the weeks leading up to this were forced to show a more humane side in the span of 24 hours. They had  little choice. From international football star Cristiano Ronaldo to Harry Potter creator JK Rowling to top band One Direction, reactions condemning government stands across Europe streamed in. From Australia to Canada, politicians said this death was 'unacceptable'. India so far has been silent. Aylan didn't die alone. Lying beside him on that beach was his five-year-old brother, a playmate in happier times. His mother also drowned with her children. The three of them united in death. Today, my grief is for the father who is alive. In interviews he talks of how he fought as his children slipped out of his hands. The abiding irony is that his son's story may have changed how the world views the refugee crisis in Europe, but it is too late to make any difference to him. A fitting tribute perhaps is not to let the stories of many other Aylans go unreported BEFORE it is too late. In India, I know we will be back to domestic news leading our TV rundowns soon, but this week at least, I'm glad NDTV told Aylan's story.
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