Temple Entry in Odisha by the Dalit: An Ethnographic Study of Media Articulation

Abstract

Human rights are foreclosed for Dalits in the practice of Hinduism as they are still being prevented from entering public places of worship in India. Though unconstitutional, this practice is prevalent. Dalits being harassed for trying to enter a temple in a coastal village of Odisha was widely covered by the media. The present study confines itself to analyzing how five newspapers in Odisha represented the highly sensitive politico-religious issue and how reporters, most of whom happened to be caste Hindus, reported the issue. Based on an ethnographic content analysis of 175 stories, divided into five episodes and analyzed thematically, it was found that the press was insensitive in terms of language used and space devoted to the coverage of the issue. The manner of reporting this issue revealed a lack of awareness of human rights on the part of the press and an overemphasis on human interest stories.