The 24X7 media has added ‘journalism’ such variety that most
old school journalists would envy themselves of being born 30 years earlier.
With just DD news before liberalisation; we now have news channels with all
combinations of the English alphabets. Post liberalisation, with the advent of
capitalism, there arose an instant hunger for making money in every one. With
news channels focussing more on market share and less on news, the hapless
viewer was left in the lurch. Switch on tv and you hardly get any news. All you
get is opinions. I remember the famous writing on the Star of Mysore evening
daily, of which I was a regular reader- “We believe opinions are free but facts
are sacred.” Today, all that is shown and shoved down the minds of the
uninformed viewer are opinions and analysis. Where is the real news? Where can
I find unbiased news?
Of all the things in the world, the News is the most
effective tool to fool people. The principle is so artistically adapted into the present
day media, that it always bypasses the onlookers and the information hungry
people. There are close to 150 news reporting channels in the country catering
to a variety of news receiving audience. If you add in page 3 gossip and cinema
reporting channels it would come close to a mind numbing 200 plus! The basic
link in understanding the media environment goes missing here. One event and 10
dozen reports creating a varied perception. Today’s media is driven by
perception and not news. They call it popular perception. Prefixing the tag of
‘popular’ makes everything real!
Capitalism is a good looking monster. Today economic growth has turned
out to be the other name of capitalism. Everybody thinks that making money at
the cost of others is bad but capitalism is good. The media capitalises on the
opportunity of ill-informed people who are ready to grab everything that is
thrown at them.
This brings me to another interesting rule. Of
all the things in the world fooling people is the most effective way to make
money. Be it stock markets, be it sales or marketing this is so evident
everywhere. And everyone prefers to turn a blissful blind eye to it. Everybody
wants to make money at the expense of others but nobody wants to be fooled. The
media wants to sell the news to intelligent audience without divulging the
tricks. The audience wants to grab just the rumours, false news, gossip but mind
you only by being made to be perceived as “well-informed” citizens. Around the
world, news has become a tradable commodity. Lesser the probability of the news
event occurring higher is its monetary value. A wardrobe malfunction clip of
Sarah Palin would earn 100 times the more money compared to a similar clip of
Rakhi Sawant! Even if the so- called intelligent viewer doesn’t know who Sarah
Palin is, he is made to enjoy the clip! The media in this case get’s its money,
conveys information about Sarah Palin to the viewer, and the viewer enjoys his
time on the TV without having to switch channels. Popular Urdu saying goes- “Jab miya biwi razi, to kya karega kazi”.
Roughly translated it would mean, when there is a consensus among the two
parties there is no need for advocacy. When the media is happy fooling people
and making money and the people are happy being made intelligent fools.
Why am I sticking my nose in?
I write this, with deep concern, facing a personal conflict
watching news channels every day. I am sure there are many out there who share
my concern. I want to convey to the media bosses that all I need is news but
not “your” analysis of the news. All major political parties and leaders have
their affiliated news channels. In Andhra Pradesh, the insanely corrupt Jagan
Mohan Reddy convinces people that his father was God incarnate, through his
news channel ‘Sakshi Tv’. In Karnataka, we have Reddy brothers impersonating
their minds on the people through their channel ‘Janashree Tv’. In Tamil Nadu
both Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi fight elections through their respective
channels ‘Jaya Tv’ and ‘Kalaignar Tv’. On a national level too, it’s an open
secret that NDTV [ New Delhi Television] boot licks the Congress party.
Remember our news heroes Prannoy Roy and Barkha Dutt lobbying along with Neera
Radia in the 2G scam? We have acclaimed journalists like Sagaraika Ghose who
think being a Hindu is being communal. They use their fame and sleeve less
blouses on screen to convince people of their ideology. I can write a whole new
piece on the communal clashes in the country. But, let me keep it aside and
stick to the subject of selling news.
The Recent Developments:
Right from the time shoe throwing was made a ‘pious’ act of
disagreement by the infamous Iraqi journalist Muntazer Al Zaidi, the media has
been successful in convincing people that it is the way for all protestors. And
we the countrymen have imitation in our blood. We threw our shoes on relevant
issues and on irrelevant people. The media got its pie. The other day, a senior
illustrated lawyer of the Supreme court and a member of the Lokpal drafting
committee, Prashant Bhushan was brutally attacked by Goons who looked like
villains in a Sunny Deol film. Times Now was interviewing him, while the attack
took place inside his office at the Supreme Court. I am stunned on watching the
most “intelligent” questioner in the country Arnab Goswami proclaim- “We have
the live visuals of Prashant Bhushan being beaten up, tune in at 10PM”. The
news channel wants to make money at the cost of a famous lawyer being beaten
up. The person who was interviewing him along with the crew while the attack
happened did not bother to help, but wanted the show to go on thereby wanting
to impress their bosses! We have “news” channels only to talk about what
happens in the house of Big Boss. Who ran naked? Who had sex with whom? What
have we reduced to?
Capitalism has many charms to it. The inner intricacies
aren’t realised by many until they have the money and nature has the resources.
But, as they say money has spoilt everything it has touched. The media is no
exception. It has added numerous charms to reporting. A lot of young people now
want to get into the mainstream media and report for a NDTV, Times Now, IBN and
the likes. Electronic media with soaring advertisement rates has definitely
bought in a strange aura in the society these days. Young men and women who now
dare to aspire change. But is this the change we want? Since we have always
been a money-starved country more than food-starved, our obsession of linking
money to everything won’t die. But, please let’s not do it with our integrity.
Abdul Kalam once said-
“If you have integrity, nothing else matters.
If you do not have integrity, nothing else matters.”
Yeah, nothing else matters!
PS: I came across this nice article on fakingnews.com which
describes how our news channels function and mocks at them.
