Media oversensationalised Aarushi murder: Survey

New Delhi, Jul 7 (UNI) The media oversensationalied the Aarushi-Hemraj murder case and its role will interfere with the ongoing CBI investigations, an all-India survey presented today found.

According to the survey conducted by IBN group and Outlook, at an all-India level, nearly 8 out of 10 parents and 7 out of 10 teenagers felt that the media has oversensationalised the story.

Parents in Delhi and Bangalore were most critical of the role of media.

A majority, at an All-India level, said both the English and non-English media were responsible for sensationalising the case. In comparative terms, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai have been more critical of the role of regional media in sensationalising the case compared to their southern counterparts.

A large number of respondents said the role of media will interfere with investigation and justice. With the exception of teenagers' in Bangalore, the opinion was universal across centres.

But at the same time, a majority respondents, felt though the case has been over sensationalised by the media, it had not been irresponsible in reporting the facts and were only doing its duty of informing public about the happenings in society. Mumbai and Hyderabad though, were more critical of the role of media.

The poll was an attempt to gauge public opinion on media coverage of the incident, society's and parents' approach to teenagers, the changing social values, and the role and effectiveness of the investigating agencies -- police and the CBI. It was conducted across six cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore with sample size of 1,000 to 1,200 people by 'GFK' mode. The sample base was divided into two distinct groups which included parents and teenagers separately so that both sections could be mapped.

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