Media Mafia...BREAKING NEWS...Kiran is blogging about Media
I've been wanting to write on this issue for like ages, but lethargy. Now, I think it is the most important issue to blog about and yet so little people take notice of.
In this era of 24X7 Indian life - electronic media or the Idiot box, as it is commonly known, is presents us with a plethora of options, be it entertainment, life style, religion, business, sports, news or what not. The print media is slowly getting "out of fashion". If you are not on social sites like Facebook, Twitter or orkut (to name a few), you are looked as a pre-historic animal. The celebrities are one by one joining the world of electronic communication of thoughts - be it Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, SRK or politicians like Shashi Taroor, amar Sigh, or news "editors" such as Barkha or Raj Deep Sardesai, the list is end less and they are all the "net savvy" people, whom we need to follow.
Just a look at the Indian TV Market (covering all the categories)- there are over 45 English TV channels, 90+ Hindi Channels and over 45 Telugu (my native language) channels alone. If you take the other regional languages the list seems to be endless. There are innumerable programs in these ranging from reality shows, to "mega" serials, to infotainment, tele marketing and what not, some of them are "aboriginal" and some are out and out copy of western concepts, some dubbed from one language to another and so on.
Of all these I care the least about any other category than "NEWS". I am a news buff and try to follow news on a minute to minute basis. I am nevertheless really disappointed at the way the news channels are "creating" news. I will to the extent of saying that they have become "Media Mafia" and are ruling the "Indian" democracy. With the dawn of so called freedom of speech (or to say lack of regulation) in the electronic media, every bit of news is sensationalized and is presented as "breaking news". There is really nothing "breaking" about it...I am sure that we are very close to times where we will see news such as "BREAKING NEWS: A Mosquito Just Bit the Prime Minister...PM is deliberating as to whether to snap it or not".
There are definitely certain instances where in news coverage is essential, I think Media is doing a great deal in brining people like Rathore to justice. At the same time, they do not have to cover Solar Eclipse "Live" as if it is THE one and onyl event...and no wonder we see headlines such as once in a life time opportunity, "spectacular solar spectacle" and allocate like 9 hours of coverage post facto and pre facto. "Experts" are flown in and interviewed for like hours, multiple cameras are placed around the globe to cover the event and its like the only thing that is worth watching.
One of the key ingredients of NEWS is supposedly "journalism". With too many channels and too many reporters very seldom do we see a well constructed argument or case for any event or "news". Every one is in the race to be the No. 1 news channel in India and I am surprised to find that there are as many as 5 - No. 1 news channels in India. Every one is trying for TRPs and no one is really interested in presenting news in the fashion that it needs to be presented. I at times see DD news and think it still has some of its core strength intact, but beyond that none of the channels live up to the mark.
A debate in many news channels is nothing but chaos and confusion. There is no logical beginning or end to any argument. The news anchors or facilitators themselves become part of the argument and start shouting at the top of their voices and I am sorry to say that every news channel is the same. I do not want to really delve into this matter as it would be taking me off track from the Mafia theme...
Very recently I witnessed a "news creation" that led to mass destruction of Reliance properties all over Andhra Pradesh. It was a discussion that was based on a "anonymous" web site called the "Exiled" supposedly a Russian electronic media. They came up with a conspiracy theory that the Late CM of AP, Dr. YSR was allengedly murdered by Reliance group/ Ambani Brothers) for having a say in KG gas basin prices. Couple of news channels make a hue and cry about it and brought in some politicians that made no sense in their arguments and that crated a furore in the supposedly loyalists of YSR who went on a rampage. This instance shows us as to how powerful the "Media" has become and is able to affect the mindsets of people. The same is the case with the coverage of recent agitations in OU or as a matter of fact any other place in the state, wherein the news channels have one or two video clippings of some kind of violence, polcie brutality or whatever adn they repeatedly show the same tiem and again and create a kind of fear in the viewers. I've recieved many calls from my friends in India and abroad inquiring about my "health" and "safety" in lieu of the recent "attacks" ... initially ,I was surprised but later on came to know that each and every of the 20 odd "news" channels in AP are creating a menace by their "news Coverage" and the hype they are generating. When, I living very next to the OU campus, like millions of others was untouched by any stray incident that MADE HEADLINES/ BREAKING NEWS. If I keep on citing this, the list of BREAKING NEWS will become endless, from the screening of Movie called Adhurs to YSR chopper missing. Talking of which I am reminded of the BREAKING NEWS of September 2, 2009 where in news channels were reporting that YSR safely landed and was "walking", I am perplexed as to how "rumors" are made a reality in NEWS channels.
Any way...I think I've vented a lot of ire in this section, I will SHUT UP here, else you might see a BREAKING NEWS and Twitter posts about my post and who knows, I might be attacked for the same.
All I want to say through this "blog media" is that let the Media not become a Mafia and report "responsibly" and try not to "create" news but "report" news as it happens. I would also like to urge the MEDIA/ NEWS REPORTERS to have a "human heart" while reporting instances where people are being killed/attacked brutally, and take active role in diffusing the situation rather than aggravating the same. If possible help the victims (like in the case of the recent Sub Inspector in TN) rather blaming the Ministers etc. or Prof Sabharwal or the millions of other instances where in people are taking law into their hands....PLEASE...PLEASE...ACT WITH CONSCIENCE!!!!
Til' the next post
Cya
Avadhani!!!
(as always, no edits..no revisions for this post too....)
Comments welcome....
In this era of 24X7 Indian life - electronic media or the Idiot box, as it is commonly known, is presents us with a plethora of options, be it entertainment, life style, religion, business, sports, news or what not. The print media is slowly getting "out of fashion". If you are not on social sites like Facebook, Twitter or orkut (to name a few), you are looked as a pre-historic animal. The celebrities are one by one joining the world of electronic communication of thoughts - be it Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, SRK or politicians like Shashi Taroor, amar Sigh, or news "editors" such as Barkha or Raj Deep Sardesai, the list is end less and they are all the "net savvy" people, whom we need to follow.
Just a look at the Indian TV Market (covering all the categories)- there are over 45 English TV channels, 90+ Hindi Channels and over 45 Telugu (my native language) channels alone. If you take the other regional languages the list seems to be endless. There are innumerable programs in these ranging from reality shows, to "mega" serials, to infotainment, tele marketing and what not, some of them are "aboriginal" and some are out and out copy of western concepts, some dubbed from one language to another and so on.
Of all these I care the least about any other category than "NEWS". I am a news buff and try to follow news on a minute to minute basis. I am nevertheless really disappointed at the way the news channels are "creating" news. I will to the extent of saying that they have become "Media Mafia" and are ruling the "Indian" democracy. With the dawn of so called freedom of speech (or to say lack of regulation) in the electronic media, every bit of news is sensationalized and is presented as "breaking news". There is really nothing "breaking" about it...I am sure that we are very close to times where we will see news such as "BREAKING NEWS: A Mosquito Just Bit the Prime Minister...PM is deliberating as to whether to snap it or not".
There are definitely certain instances where in news coverage is essential, I think Media is doing a great deal in brining people like Rathore to justice. At the same time, they do not have to cover Solar Eclipse "Live" as if it is THE one and onyl event...and no wonder we see headlines such as once in a life time opportunity, "spectacular solar spectacle" and allocate like 9 hours of coverage post facto and pre facto. "Experts" are flown in and interviewed for like hours, multiple cameras are placed around the globe to cover the event and its like the only thing that is worth watching.
One of the key ingredients of NEWS is supposedly "journalism". With too many channels and too many reporters very seldom do we see a well constructed argument or case for any event or "news". Every one is in the race to be the No. 1 news channel in India and I am surprised to find that there are as many as 5 - No. 1 news channels in India. Every one is trying for TRPs and no one is really interested in presenting news in the fashion that it needs to be presented. I at times see DD news and think it still has some of its core strength intact, but beyond that none of the channels live up to the mark.
A debate in many news channels is nothing but chaos and confusion. There is no logical beginning or end to any argument. The news anchors or facilitators themselves become part of the argument and start shouting at the top of their voices and I am sorry to say that every news channel is the same. I do not want to really delve into this matter as it would be taking me off track from the Mafia theme...
Very recently I witnessed a "news creation" that led to mass destruction of Reliance properties all over Andhra Pradesh. It was a discussion that was based on a "anonymous" web site called the "Exiled" supposedly a Russian electronic media. They came up with a conspiracy theory that the Late CM of AP, Dr. YSR was allengedly murdered by Reliance group/ Ambani Brothers) for having a say in KG gas basin prices. Couple of news channels make a hue and cry about it and brought in some politicians that made no sense in their arguments and that crated a furore in the supposedly loyalists of YSR who went on a rampage. This instance shows us as to how powerful the "Media" has become and is able to affect the mindsets of people. The same is the case with the coverage of recent agitations in OU or as a matter of fact any other place in the state, wherein the news channels have one or two video clippings of some kind of violence, polcie brutality or whatever adn they repeatedly show the same tiem and again and create a kind of fear in the viewers. I've recieved many calls from my friends in India and abroad inquiring about my "health" and "safety" in lieu of the recent "attacks" ... initially ,I was surprised but later on came to know that each and every of the 20 odd "news" channels in AP are creating a menace by their "news Coverage" and the hype they are generating. When, I living very next to the OU campus, like millions of others was untouched by any stray incident that MADE HEADLINES/ BREAKING NEWS. If I keep on citing this, the list of BREAKING NEWS will become endless, from the screening of Movie called Adhurs to YSR chopper missing. Talking of which I am reminded of the BREAKING NEWS of September 2, 2009 where in news channels were reporting that YSR safely landed and was "walking", I am perplexed as to how "rumors" are made a reality in NEWS channels.
Any way...I think I've vented a lot of ire in this section, I will SHUT UP here, else you might see a BREAKING NEWS and Twitter posts about my post and who knows, I might be attacked for the same.
All I want to say through this "blog media" is that let the Media not become a Mafia and report "responsibly" and try not to "create" news but "report" news as it happens. I would also like to urge the MEDIA/ NEWS REPORTERS to have a "human heart" while reporting instances where people are being killed/attacked brutally, and take active role in diffusing the situation rather than aggravating the same. If possible help the victims (like in the case of the recent Sub Inspector in TN) rather blaming the Ministers etc. or Prof Sabharwal or the millions of other instances where in people are taking law into their hands....PLEASE...PLEASE...ACT WITH CONSCIENCE!!!!
Til' the next post
Cya
Avadhani!!!
(as always, no edits..no revisions for this post too....)
Comments welcome....
posted by Avadhani at
3:57 AM
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