This article will look at the media coverage of the devastating fire that occurred at a Kolkata hospital in December, 2011. A preventable one despite the catastrophic proportions it grew to, the fire killed over 90 people. The absolutely inept and callous way in which the fire was handled by the hospital staff shocked the city, and the media understandably gave it wide coverage. This article will focus on the city editions of the English newspapers to explore which issues received media attention and which got marginalized when this overwhelming tragedy was reported. In the painful exercise of interpreting and categorizing such extreme experiences, it is usually the media that carries out the job of disseminating information, images and ideas concerning the nature of the events. Through the coverage or non-coverage of these issues, the media reflects society’s attempts to come to terms with such horrific tragedies. Using the reporting by the newspapers, the article will seek to enquire how the concepts of duty, responsibility and accountability are redefined by circumstances.
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