Today's Media: Grabbing eyeballs than actual news....

truth

Media is a part of our society. As a part it takes what the shape what our sociey has. All that is being dished out to us as news are only the scandals and crimes which will draw our attention. But creative news which can open one's mind is absent. So, you see murders,roberry, etc. when you open your newspaper, but what about the developments our country has made, which will make every citizen proud. Now more than news you will find advertisements to cover the costs and make a profit. Most of the time an investigative feature will be put off from the paper after some big names come to light. The independence of the media is today sacrificed to the alter of power.

Prashant,

The problem most people claim with DD is that it reports only what GOI wants people to know and no more.

I have been following the ‘for’ and ‘against’ comments in this debate. Against the motion, people have mainly opined that A) the media is justified in trying to make money. i.e. they are not in it just for the fun of it, or as a social service. B) the public wants the kind of news that is being churned out, and to keep their interest in the channel, the producers oblige.

 Now, it is curious how B) automatically results in A). I feel it is like a twin blade razor. The first blade grabs the hair, while the second lops it off. So also, with one argument, they grab the attention of the public and with the other, they laugh all the way to the bank.

 I find anomalies in both these arguments. A) It is an insult to the viewer to suggest that he does not have the intelligence or the inclination to hear/ see the news as news is supposed to be told. I find it similar to the story dished out by the formula movie and song makers of Bollywood. Where the fact remains that there is a dearth of ideas and creativity in Bollywood, they casually pin the blame onto changed audience tastes. If one is used to eating rice, whether one gets Basmati or not, he will still want to have rice as a meal. So also when one wants to see movies or listen to songs, he will still hear’ watch whatever is available. Coming back to media reporting, it is much the same. The viewer will have to watch whatever is being shown on the innumerable news channels. And since there is hardly any substance in the coverage, and he is otherwise too busy with his daily life, he will not make a noise about the real state of affairs. (Aside: Perhaps, this is the larger game-plan of the media in collusion with the powers that be.)

 B) The money bogey. Yes, we are all trying to make money to make ends meet, and for the luxuries that the opening up of the world has thrown in our faces. But, Amul makes profits too – by giving good products and service to the customer. The local doodhwala also makes profits, but usually from the water that he dilutes his milk with. Now, is the media content with being the doodhwala, or do they strive to become an Amul? (By the way, Amul is not paying me to say this.)

 There must be a balance between good reporting and entertainment. Just being shallow and yelling meaningless headlines over and over again; creating mountains out of molehills while ignoring main issues; indulging in self-defeating talk shows, which usually end up without any conclusion; misinterpreting statements or forcing alternative meanings during interviews. This is certainly not the role of a responsible media. Our news channels rather remind me of the bubble gum music of the sixties – sounded lovely but was totally meaningless.

 All in all, I vote for Prannoy Roy, Vir Sanghvi and Vinod Dua. They have it in them to bring the media back onto track. The others are mostly garrulous, with a slightly above-average command over the English language, but very weak in terms of genuine content making their presentations akin to those of game show hosts.

I think Yes Today's Media Turned Only On Grabbing Eyeballs Than Actual News because it has to cater everybody's taste. We cannot alone blame the media for this, because there are people who actually encourage astrology, superstition, snakes and baba's and daily soap reviews on the news channel.

Dear Mr Ramesh Babu

Pl read all my postings in this page carefully you will get to know what exactly our media is all about

MEDIA IS NOTHING BUT 'BIG BUCK BITCHING' to put it so crudely

BAALU RADHA KRISHNA

A month ago my cable guy had only NDTV 24X7 to offer as a news channel. Tired of seeing what they are showing, I wanted to have a choice of many channels so that I can choose the news I wanted to see. SO I got the Tata Sky with many Indian news channels. Alas. Believe it, they are all covering the same stuff NDTV is covering ( not talking about who started the news stuff) or rather they all talk about Sania , Shaoib and Ayesha and all that I do not want to hear.

The news channels are having more of gossip sessions rather than the real inspiring news, investigative journalism , educating the masses , exposing the corrupt etc . Too many channels, too many reporters all looking for the sensational news rather than the sensible one.

IN THE ADVERTISING INDUSTRY ( Newspaper Media )... there is a very popular observation...

A Newspaper gets more money for NOT PUBLISHING certain News, rather than FOR PUBLISHING. This was & even today is a fact, that Dossiers of Important News, which can give common public more insight, are kept under wraps, as it is more beneficial for the Newspaper Owners, to do so.

This pactice is prevalant in every state of India & to a large extent is present in EVERY WING OF MEDIA.  

Dear Mr Baalu,

Why single out media they are as much in hurry as a majority of others to make hay as the sun shines. "Think twice before you utter or value your own words" appear meaningless in present times.

Hope and wish we all learn to appreciate that the cost for today's shortcuts is as well to be borne by us may be through next generation. Excessive trumpet sounds as well can reverberate and bring down shaky structures.

Mr RAVINDRA SHARMAs

You are absolutely on dot. I support your view fully but felt that they have all together a cardinal onus on their part to handle the sensitive issues particularly the electronic media as it will have tremendous impact on literate as well illiterate viewers. You must have heard of a news where in the reporter had provided fire and fuel to a suicide attempt victim to capture in his camera FIRST and get back to telecast the live inferno.

The media recently in a collective manner stalled the UPA govt 's attempt to impose restriction on their telecast norms.With slight protest the Govt gave in, knowing well it is alltogether only the UPA Govt is going to benefit of these media reportage as  I already expressed that the media is highly biased towards UPA SONIA AND RAHUL

I believe only law can impart discipline and consciousness on the media in a highly volatile society like ours.

Thanks for your kind reply i always stand by with your views.

regards

Baalu Radha krishna

Dear Mr Baalu

Regret not having noticed your comment earlier.

Surely I neither support sensationalism nor media taking sides, Please read that in my comments and may be you agree to the point. Investigative reporting and neutral analysis may provide them as much chance to get noticed yet it requires hard work is what I said. 

Yes , News have become DRAMATIC. I think its the viewer who has promoted this because if  news channels wont get TRP for the these kind of news they would stop showing it . Also there are Still good shows on some news channels which are presented by experienced reporters like Barkha Datt , Rajdeep Sardesai & some others So we can always choose what want to see

Have U observed that al most all news TV channels are free to watch ? Then who pays to run the chanels ? They never ask us to "pay" for watching the news .. why ? Becoz .. they earn otherwise ..  a paid channel must air news and only news ... !!

Another aspect : There are more 24 x 7 News Channels in India than in any other country. Is India a rich nation ?

Ownersip of such channels in India lies in hands of big people / business houses. Think they are interested in development of the country, well beings of citizens and  their mental health  ? Interested in real awareness, giving authenticated and un-biased news and growing of scientific temparements ?  

"Hum to profit mangta hai .. obsob se hamara keya lena-dena" ( we want profit, we are not conerned for all those )

When money is the entire game and nothing else matters, what does anyone care who likes it or doesn't? Although we are making a big show about it, truth is we are miles away from civilization in the true sense of the word. Corruption, absence of any semblance of order in politics, the bureacracy, and even the law machinery, disintegration of social values in the name of progress. While we can't solely blame the media, they are equally responsible for not highlighting the faults where they actually lie, and even being partisan in many instances.

I am not competent enough to point out the exact reasons for this state of affairs, but I am sure there are plenty of qualified people out there who have solutions to these problems. Trouble is neither the government nor the media has any need for really constructive people.

Mr Ravidra Sharma Do you mean to support the media when they stoop too low for sensationalism?

For the sake of money or for the sake of fame and survival, can the media indulge in unethical manner. We all should remember one thing, Media, Legal Profession and Medical Profession all require some amount of ethical standards, for the reason these profession control our lives, our society, our way of life and upabove morals of the citizenry. If the entire  media conspired with a political party and drum for it through out the people will be mislead no matter what the educational backgroud of them/

Media require high standards of balance unprejudiced reportage. Despite several several terrorist attacks including the Mumbai Terror attack and the repeated failures of the UPA Govt, the media potrayed UPA SONIA in different picture by which they could come back to power.

Tell any one honestly have you ever seen a PM like ours who confined to Delhi and behaves as if his jobis only US affairs, and foreighn affairs, and Nuelear Treaties. Despite the Naxal attack, communal unrest in Hyderabad, Telengana issue, his image is being protectede by the media in a conspiracy manner.

God save this country

Baalu Radha Krishna

I am a keen media follower! TIMES NOW, NDTV, STAR NEWS,CNBC, ETC are openly campaigning for Congress, UPA, and Sonia. They are not only manipulating news, but cunningly controlling in a confederation manner. The media is highly conspired against BJP and other opposition parties much in violation of basic journalistic spirit. Dom Moress of yesteryears set a precedent that dictates in journalistic spirit that the bad of ruling party should be exposed and the voice of opposition should be heare louder in the Nation. But contrary to this basic principle they are ruling this country much in opposite direction. They out and out supporting the UPA and hiding its failures and attacking the opposition even under slightest pretext.

If any one is under the impression that one who watch television they are update informed of the happenings in India is thoroughly mistaken and fooled too.

1. These channels are blocking news from south states
2. They cover more bangalore than other cities in south
3. AP news mean only good news for the reason it is under Congress Rule
4. Karnataka mean only bad news for the reason it is under BJP Rule
5. A school kid kidnapped in North it is a sensational news bla bla nearly one week or one month. but recently when a little Vaishnavi was kidnapped in vijayawada and murdered in grue some manner the whole AP cried for days but not a single flash was shown on TN or NDTV etc.
6. Communal riots coverage too was highly biased against Hindus sufferingns. Those who are keenly watching the Hyderabad situation now only can realise this fact not others

I wonder where we are heading?

Baalu Radha Krishna

You are absolutely right. You can add one more thing to your list. Repetitive news. Nowadays i have given up on watching news channels especially indian ones because they keep repeating the same news. They dont even have the common sense to change the visual shots accompanying the news.

And its not as if there is dearth of news. It is just a lack of effort. Because in such a huge population as ours the electronic media very well knows that once a person is hooked, he is hooked for good.

Yes inorder to grab more advt they are justing showing any news material

I guess it is difficult for news channels to remain sombre and factual when every six minutes you need to be interrupted by a bunch of rabbits dancing for baby nappies.

A day or two back the Star News newsreader very enthusiastically informed of the "is waqt ki sabse badi khabar': Sania Mirza ko raat bhar neend nahin aai! That was time when many listeners would have lost whatever little credibility we have in the TV media. The news is become a drag with the same old images being repeatedly shown ad infinitum. And all this, when the national policy on education should have been debated and the food security issue should have been in the limelight. 

Actually yes, news like

1) Amitabh has cold

2) COmmissioner dog missing

3) A 17 year old drivinga bike at 90 kms per hour

4) Children jumping in pond

These are breaking news adn prime news and they are of no use at all.

Its very much true that today's media is much more concentrating on myths,superstition,saash bahu & comedy drama.By doing such they are misguiding the viewers.But the media should not forget their core responsibility to make the people aware of realistic & developmental or other useful issues.

Well said Mr Naushad.

Ya u r right.

Because of so many news channels running for news 24x7, hardly could they find factual news reports. Then media reporters start creating their own news (as like India channel flashing news of Aliens want Himesh Reshamiya) just to keep up with the promise they do of showing latest news 24x7. Just treat these channels as prime time ENTERTAINMENT channels and everything will be alright. And if you want real news buy a news paper and read it (well this will also save the diminishing reading habits)

yes! absolutely!

Today's media concentrates more on grabbing your attention than on reporting news. This leads to dramatising the news more than is required. Which in turn warps the perspective and the perception of what is happening. A classic example is the Sania Mirza wedding. It is just a case of two people getting married. where is the need for all the nonsense that has resulted as a result of the unnecessary coverage and the hype? This is despite the fact that both have requested privacy.

Yes you are right Mr.Kiran Kumar. However not all, There are a few good devoting on art, science, agriculture, literature,and technology & IT and also on management/HR

Example, The Hindu

For others, they want to give some hot & sensational news to attract and increase their circulation. What to do.... they are also need money to run the show... 

There is nothing to tell about the media in our country. They totally lost their ethics & culture. For sake of money & TRP they can show anything even sex scandals. This is really disgusting.....

Media should encourage art, science and literature but it is focusing on astrology, rebirths, religious myths, beliefs and aliens. Now days almost every news channel telecast astrological programmes where an astrologer or some baba is sitting and predicting about deaths, marriages and relationships.

The funny part is that sometimes statements made by each astrologer are contradictory which confuses the audience. Superstition and myths are also encouraged as recently in one of the news channel there was programme based on a tantrik who claimed that he can kill a person within three minutes. It was telecast but the action failed and to escape from humiliation the tantrik said that it can only be performed at night.