“Was she a school leader?” a reporter asks, thrusting a mic at a woman who is rushing out of a funeral. She pleads not to ask such questions, saying they are already heartbroken about the death. The reporter is relentless and prods, “If she was a leader and the leader of the cultural committee, how did she make a decision like this? The student that the reporter is asking about is the 16-year-old daughter of Tamil actor, music composer, and producer Vijay Antony, who died in the early hours of Tuesday, September 19.
The media nightmare that followed the suicide, with Tamil news channels and YouTube channels perching outside the music composer’s house, has been called out by many. However, it is not just about insensitive coverage, these media houses are ignoring guidelines, and are downright dangerous.