I was telling someone the other day is that the saddest conclusion that i have reached is that the most honorable institution of them all is the Government.
Ultimately, no matter how venal, power mad, inept, or corrupt the are – sooner or later they are accountable and answerable to the people. They lose their jobs, retract their statements, are forced to back off from trampling our Constitutional rights. All we have to do is scream a bit … and they usually end up listening, especially if it is close to elections.
Amongst the insitutions that has rapidly lost my trust, espeically in the last two years, is the broadcast news media. Between the Prince episode, the Arushi Murder Case, running recorded footage with live bugs, with the 26/11 coverage – i have stopped watching TV news. I read magazines, i read newspapers and I read blogs. I do these because i have far more faith in the credibility of those who write – than the credibility of those who produce and package news on TV.
When you begin to sell TRP’s instead of credible, reliable, non sensationalized content (remember words like journalism, ethics, reportage), then you are selling a product, and rules that apply to the rest of the world apply to you. This includes getting product attributes criticized.
As a consumer if i tell you that i don’t like your product because a part of it is screechy, emotional, inaccurate, irresponsible and all over the place then maybe your job is to improve your offering instead of threatening to sue the customer for defamation.
The Ambanis didn’t sue the customer for laughing at Reliance Mobile 6 years ago, they fixed the service. Tata’s didn’t sue the customer for pillorying the Indica when it first launched. They made a better car (btw i own an Indica Marina). Maybe, NDTV needs to introspect and figure why so many of its natural target audience found its reportage appalling. And, maybe they need to fix it.
And to those who took the call to threaten the individual with legal action:
Imagine – if the Government behaved with you the way you are behaving over Chyetanya Kunte .Imagine your outrage, your self righteousness and your defence of the “Freedom of Expression. And then remember that media organizations enjoy the same ‘freedom of expression’ as individuals. There are no other separate provisions. And understand, that in attacking our Rights you are destroying yours.
I feel sad that the journalistic insitution built up by Prannoy Roy has come to this. Really, really sad.
Also read
Desi Pundit – the are running the story & reactions here
Blogbharati are running the story and reactions here
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It is true… we no longer have any reliable media we can trust and follow… from crass stations like IndiaTV and Hindi Star News to irresponsible reporting by Times Now and NDTV, our only recourse is the internet… when will we have responsible journalism on the lines of BBC?
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Outrage is fine. It’s good to know there are so many defenders of free speech. But is all this making any difference to NDTV? Or will all this be stale news in another week?
Quirky Indian
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Govt is no saint and i don’t think it is really that accountable and it is downright shameless, the way it has been trampling on the constitution , the corruption and the lack of accountability , the satyam episode, the rti waiver for politicians, the Navin chavla episode the appointment of the President …
Media has never been that independent , most of them slaves to govt adverts and diktats, getting subsidised housing at a pityance, getting expensive gifts from the pm, flying with him on his chartered plane. They are a pamered lot.
Most celeb news reporters don’t need to name them think no end of themselves …
NDTV has always been pro govt and communists, with Roys being directly related to the Karats.
Hindu is almost a communist mouthpiece
Times need the govt contracts page, TV18 needs more foreign stake and HT and Vir r well known for their loyalty to the Gandhis
Worse is that the new trend is of syndication and benefit, aka Private Treatys… I print favorable reports of ur business as news and u give me equity at prices far lower than u give the market…
I agree Indian media is horrid, the reporting in the foreign media and blogs … really are fantastic in comparison.
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Agreed….
Prannoy Roy and Barkha Dutt were once considered the ultimate role model for any journalism aspirant, or for that matter, any young individual who dreamed to stand tall and true in this bad bad world…. but alas…it is highly disheartening to see them contribute towards the bad bad world now…..
What is most alarming is that, people are now taking the ways of these news channels as the ways of “today’s” journalism(“o..what can they do…they have to stand out in the competition na…..”.. arghhhh).. someone once said, and rightly so…” Duniya to jhukti hai, jhukanewala chahiye!!”
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Harini
I daresay I keep thinking of that experiment in your class where you asked them to raise hands to say what kind of journalists they want to be… There may well be the next screaming-banshee-reporter lurking in there. Somewhere. The mind boggles.
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Hi, all of us have a right to express our opinion..nobody can stop that unless it is under the frame of Indian Constitution…
I would like to know that do u know any user friendly Indian Language typing tool..where we can write in our mother tongue and can also have formatting option…if u found any one let me know..
keep writing…express your inner voice always you do…
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irresponsible journalism,boosting personel opinions as laws,trying to hand over future of this country to congress party[ this party needs 1000 years to lift this country to minimum developed] to perish india
in past some persons are resposible for the situation of this country in near future may the next generation knows that these suedojournalists were sly’s and spoilt this country
[Reply]
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