Credibility Crisis

There was a time when the television sets used to be of the size of present-day washing machines and "Doordarshan" was the anointed broadcaster. But a wise man once said, “We are the facilitators of our own creative evolution.” Indian media has evolved dramatically in the last few years. The television news media have reshaped the concept of information.

However, the pertinent issue is that whether the popularity of Indian media is being perceived at the expense of their credibility. Recently, the lone runway at the Dabolim airport was shut for nearly three hours after the drop tank of a MiG-29K aircraft detached during take-off and exploded. Massive search operations were being carried out to look for missing IAF aircraft in Arunachal Pradesh. But the news channels flooded with debates discussing why Mahendra Singh Dhoni wore the wicketkeeping gloves with the Balidan badge on them in Cricket World Cup 2019. It was made the headlines in the newspaper the very next day.

There is no denying the fact that if there were no Indian media, the evolution of the country would have remained stagnant. From the first war of independence up to Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement, exposing the scams and scandals and the ‘pseudo’ babas, the media has always played a pivotal role. We should be thankful to the technology for introducing us to the social media which has empowered the mainstream media.

For scoring higher TRPs, news channels have turned into circuses with absolutely no respect for journalism. The stories are presented in a way that is intended to provoke public interest or excitement, at the expense of accuracy. Let it be the live coverage of Taj Mumbai terror attack at the cost of national security or a special 1-hour show about how Simar has reincarnated as a housefly, media has never missed a single chance to gain TRPs.

Recently a news reporter entered the ICU of the hospital and began questioning a doctor who was busy treating patients about the infrastructure of the hospital. This is a clear example of how the media has crossed its boundaries to the extent of victimizing and being judgmental. Such irresponsible news reporting not only disgusts the viewers but also aggrieves the already in- grief family.

Sensationalized media is the major defect of journalism. Today people are more concerned about what Taimur wore to the airport, which songs were played in the Ambani’s wedding and the fashion blunders made by the Bollywood icons rather than thinking about how the wife of a martyr would be weathering the storm. Media serves what people prefer. The lines between news and entertainment are absolutely blurred. Yellow journalism is prevailing and hence the Media and most certainly, the viewers need to introspect about it.