The Jallikattu Fiasco: Week Long Protest against the Ban Enforced and the Role Played by Print Media

Abstract

As the fourth pillar of democratic governments, media has a significant influence in the formation of general conclusions among the masses. The bull has stomped its way into featured news story in Tamil Nadu several times in the last decade. From the time that people of Tamil Nadu prepared to celebrate Pongal in 2017, a large number of individuals from different urban communities of the state came together in open spaces, such as coastal areas and playgrounds, challenging a Supreme Court directive prohibiting the essentially provincial spectacle of Jallikattu. Convenient conclusions have frequently been drawn with regard to debilitating injuries and even deaths. The ‘game’ has never been directed by anyone with precise control. The present paper is an attempt to understand how a section of media, mostly newspapers, portrayed this sensitive issue. The review conducts a comparison between one English daily and one vernacular daily, both covering the Chennai locale in Tamil Nadu and attempts to examine the stand taken by print media in the projection of Jallikattu.