Breaking News

News is a major industry in India with more than 70,000 newspapers and nearly 100 news channels; Add to that hundreds of weekly news magazines and you have the foundation for a thriving and buzzing industry. But does the quality match the quantity? I am afraid not. For most part news channels and papers dish out subjective opinions in the name of news; ethics are at an all time low with "paid news" being the norm rather than the exception.
Electronic news is a relatively newer medium; till most part of the Nineties, Doordarshan's was the only news aired on television; a generation grew up watching a stoic looking Salma Sultan reading out the evening news. Today, news is more of a view; often of the owner of the channel. Sensationalism is the key; "sansani" being an all time TRP favourite. Debates are on prime time slots, and for most news aficionados, most of the political spokespersons have become extended family. Some channels are blatantly pro-government while some are dangerously opposed; very few trod the neutral ground. Barring a handful, vernacular and Hindi news channels are more like parodies; painfully ignorant,loud and substandard.
One may argue, that the viewer is the king and if these channels are running and earning ad revenues, there must be a market for them. That, for me, is the worrying factor. You can get away with sensationalism, when you are ACP Pradyumna(from CID, one of the longest running serials in Indian Tele History) because it is fiction and clearly mentioned so in the titles; but news comes in the guise of authenticity. There are people who take it on face value;opinions are formed, based on the whims of a corrupt, self centred and opportunistic individual and not on facts.
In Assam, the situation is worse. We have almost a dozen news channels battling for mindspace in a relatively small area. The result - a mad rush to grab eyeballs at any cost. Competition is good for the consumer; very often companies offer better quality at cheaper rates to out-do the competetion. Unfortunately, for people of Assam, the same cannot be said about news channels. For most part, production quality is tacky, news readers unpolished and news fabricated and frivolous. In the name of news, we are being dished out thrash. It is injurious to health. There are exceptions,but few and far between. A handful of journalists are trying to stay true to their profession,but very often their voices are muffled in the cacophony around them.
The apalling standards of news channels may be attributed to a paucity of funds or the lack of intent. Running a news channel is a costly affair; in order to meet costs, most news channels are hiring people, as reporters, who have little or no knowledge of journalistic ethics. In some cases, where revenue is not the issue,the intent is malicious. Some have become mouthpieces of the government; it is excruciating to watch the ridiculous stories, and mindless and biased debates.
This is a dangerous phenemenon. We are creating a generation of journalists, if one can call them that, who have the wrong foundations; not a promising sign for a democracy. Television has become a powerful medium of communication,with a wide reach. Journalists are the watchdogs of society; the vigilante. The adage, "the pen is mightier than the sword" holds true even today, although in modern day the pen has been replaced by the keyboard. Journalists have the power to change; they can be the harbingers of positive change in society. We need honest people in journalism and media today; we need people who will remain true to their ethics and ideals, and not get swayed by materialistic or political pressure. We do not need "breaking news", we need trustworthy news.