00:00The news broke mid-afternoon. At least 26 dead in a terrorist attack.
00:06Bodies strewn across meadows in Pahalgaam.
00:09Horrors spread fast and so did something else.
00:12Assumptions, hatred, divisive politics and conspiracy theories.
00:15By evening, newsrooms were in overdrive.
00:31Television anchors, hashtags, clickbait headlines, all looking for a story to run with.
00:36Not facts, not verified information, just the most viral angle.
00:40Revenge trended online.
00:42Prime time shows talked of war.
00:44Even last year's Kashmir elections were suddenly questioned.
00:48Juventus National also entered the assembly and are living off our taxpayer money and doing tamasha.
00:53And in some corners, tragedy became a business opportunity.
00:57Flight prices from Srinagar soared.
01:00A viral quote lifted without confirmation became the emotional spine of the coverage.
01:05Was it verified? No.
01:07Did anyone follow up? No.
01:09But it fit the narrative.
01:10Terror has no religion, but some media outlets made sure it did.
01:15Grief was packaged as content.
01:17Anger monetized.
01:19Responsible journalism drowned out by noise.
01:22Some journalists made a choice.
01:24To not show gory videos.
01:26To wait before speaking to the grieving.
01:28To not brand people by their faith.
01:30In a newsroom, there are no pauses.
01:33But maybe there should be.
01:34To sit with grief and to ask the real questions.
01:37Not who to blame.
01:39But why did this happen again?
01:41The woman sitting next to her slain husband does not need our anger.
01:45She needs our truth.
01:47And truth does not come in hashtags.
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