Page 45 - English Tehelka Issue 6 - March 31, 2018

OpiniOn media

White noise of TV news • Media circus A section of social media mocks

the priorities of television news channels even
spells doom for media as so many other major events go unreported

anyone could drown in a bathtub.
The electronic media’s credibility is in jeopardy and the unease This led to conspiracy theories and
suspicion at possible murder! The
Spotlight of viewers has been growing. It’s time for television news channels almost endless debate continued on
virtually every news channels and the
to either mend their ways or look ahead for their own downfall
Vipin pubby TV remote control was of little help. A
section of social media did mock the
here has been a sharp News through the social media and priorities of television news channels
decline in the standards digital platforms is taking baby steps even as so many other major events go
of Indian media, spe- in the country and most of the news unreported.
Former resident editor cifically that of television websites are in the development stage. And the way they reported the death
of the Indian express, ‘news channels’, but there At times, the ‘viral’ news also turns out and the ‘mystery’ would go down in
Vipin Pubby is a senior T appears to be no end to it to be fake news. That’s mainly because the annals of Indian television history
journalist based in stooping lower than before. Watching there are no gatekeepers and people as the most insensitive, shocking and
Chandigarh. He can news on television has now become so blindly forward whatever comes their disgusting coverage ever. One of the
be contacted at irritating that more and more people way. Recently there was a campaign channels has one of its anchors pose
vipinpubby@gmail. are giving up watching news on televi- to get ‘signatures’ or endorsement for near a bath tub with a glass of window
com. The views sion screens. building a Ram Temple in Ayodhya as in her hand. Another channel floated
expressed are personal While the newspapers, particularly the Supreme Court “had asked for a a photograph of the late actress in a
the mainstream media and the multi- referendum”. The post said that Muslims bathtub.
edition hindi and regional language had voted for a masjid at the site in large The headline of one of the English
newspapers, have by and large main- numbers and challenged the Hindus to her dancing and acting skills. Although There is hardly any channels was : “Was Jahnavi (Sridevi’s
tained reasonably good standards of do it in large numbers. Obviously there she had almost quit films for a decade daughter) inconsolable after her moth-
reporting, it is the dumbing down of the was no such reference from Supreme and a half, she staged a comeback as an reference to the er’s death?” Another shared the dimen-
electronic media that is shocking. In this Court or that it had refused to adjudi- accomplished actor in the film English quality journalism sions of the bathtub at 5 feet in length
field the English news channels are only cate in the dispute. There are, however, Vinglish and a couple of other films. and 13 inches in height. A leading Hindi
a step behind the vernacular ones and at credible news websites but few take the Thus, the curiosity over her sudden still practiced by channel showed the “Maut ka bathtub”
times even outdo the other. trouble to cross check the facts. death was natural. However, the way while another asked “Kamra number
The villain-in-chief is no other than One is not shocked to find headlines most television channels went about a large section of 2201 me Kya hua” and yet other asked:
Arnab Goswami. Thanks to his market- like “Kya gaye ka doodh pite hain aliens covering her death was shameful. The the print media, “Kyun dinner date per lejana chahte they
ing and abrasive style, his theatrics (Do aliens drink cow’s milk)” or “Badalon initial reports about her death were Boney Kapoor?”
dominate the discussions at social mein dikhe bhagwan (God seen in clouds)”. sketchy but that did not prevent the specifically in The unease and irritation with news
gatherings. One rarely comes across Then there are anchors dressed in olive channels from reaching ridiculous the mainstream channels is growing and it would be a
anyone liking his style or appreciating green uniforms talking of skirmishes at conclusions. mistake on the part of their manage-
his journalism. Even as most profes- the border together with a sand model As the first reports had said that she ments if they think such coverage
sional journalists don’t consider him of the section.The latest example of had died due to a sudden heart attack, would earn them more TRPs and
one from their tribe, he is the one who is the dumbing down of television news the so-called ‘experts’ as also news keep looking young and fit could consequently more revenue through
taken as an example or yardstick for the is the way almost all channels have anchors put the focus on the alleged lead to disasters such as in the case advertisements. As a member of media
declining standards of journalism. covered the tragic death of the famous plastic surgeries she had undergone of Sridevi. But then as soon as news community for nearly four decades, I
As dyed-in-the-wool ‘traditional’ Bollywood actress Sridevi. There is no just to keep slim and keep her skin tight. came from Dubai that she had acciden- find it impossible to defend such cover-
journalists like me, who have been in doubt that the sudden death of a famous There were speculations that she had tally drowned, these channels took an ages even though I remain a strong
print journalism for long, it is becom- personality and that too at a compara- undergone over two dozen such sur- about turn and began focusing on her votary for the freedom of the press. No
ing increasingly difficult to defend the tively young age makes news. Virtually geries (some even claiming the exact taking or not taking hard drinks. A self- wonder more and more citizens are
electronic media. As it is, almost all everyone who heard about the tragedy figure of 27) and blamed her for poor proclaimed “close associate” disclosed turning towards credible digital media,
social conversation, and even among received a shock and her death became diet and obsession with keeping slim. that she used to take “mild drinks” like including that managed by established
the professionals, boils down to these one of the most discussed news stories. The ‘experts’ said the sudden heart wine but never took “hard drinks”. It newspapers, to get to real news devel-
so-called television news channels. The circumstances and curiosity about attack was a ‘lesson’ for others who is not clear whether he thought those opments. It’s time for television news
There is hardly any reference to the the sudden death in a foreign land add- did not lead a healthy lifestyle. Medical who take hard drinks must die and that channels to either mend their ways or
quality journalism still practiced in large ed to the fact that she was a heart throb experts were all over the channels to there was nothing strange or unusual look ahead for their own doom.
sections of print journalism and specifi- due to her acting in dozens of Hindi and affirm that frequent surgeries could about it.The dozens of anchors and
cally in the mainstream media. South Indian films. She was known for do much damage and the ‘tendency’ to ‘experts’ then raised doubts on how letters@tehelka.com

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