Angry Nepalese trend #GoHomeIndianMedia to protest against insensitive coverage of earthquake

Indian newspapers

Indian mainstream media, especially TV news channels, is hardly known for nuances, and they appear to miss it even during tragedies. Media coverage of 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks is the biggest example of their insensitive, irresponsible, and sensationalist reporting, which made a lot of people take to social media to register their protest.

And it seems, Indian media has not learnt its lessons ever since. Now they have been able to irritate and anger even non-Indians.

On Sunday, many Twitter users living in Nepal started hashtag #GoHomeIndianMedia to protest against such brand of reporting. Not only in Nepal, but this hashtag trended even in India.

From their tweets, it was obvious that the anger was against the sensationalist approach by media, and not against India:

https://twitter.com/npPoet/status/594746089539940353

https://twitter.com/andpkrl/status/594721394836971520

https://twitter.com/V_R_7_7/status/594734876294656001

https://twitter.com/nyupsa/status/594746355182014467

https://twitter.com/juction4love/status/594755916643180544

https://twitter.com/infected_heart9/status/594738366312108032
Apart from insensitive (like asking injured persons ‘aapko kaisa lag raha hai’ type of questions) and sensationalist reporting, some users claimed that Indian media even ended up blocking relief operations and rescue work:

https://twitter.com/npPoet/status/594757897889845248

https://twitter.com/CrimeMasterV2/status/594759875298603009
However, among the “doyens” of Indian media, the hashtag was met either with denial or with cheap potshots at each other:

https://twitter.com/dibang/status/594764668767309824
While the celeb journalists might differ with each other, Indians joined Nepalese citizens in bashing the Indian media for their attitude:

https://twitter.com/iMac_too/status/594762063836160003

https://twitter.com/saiu23/status/594747444514062336

https://twitter.com/tweetingsourav/status/594771508016218112
and such support from the Indian tweeters brought some smile to Nepalese citizens:

https://twitter.com/sandyy_3/status/594758740391362560

https://twitter.com/Thejuly23rd/status/594769154143428608

https://twitter.com/biratshar_lfc/status/594792210723250176
Hope Indian media uses this opportunity to introspect and listen to the common man’s voices instead of deflecting responsibility or choosing to live in denial.

OpIndia Staff: Staff reporter at OpIndia