The Indian news channel has reached a new low or should I say a new high? The news anchors are now detectives cum doctors cum analyst; anything but a person who is supposed to tell the news, simply.
The latest sensational case they “handled” was of the death of the Bollywood diva-Sreedevi. The legend died once in real life but on news channels she died a hundred times. The media kept on scrutinizing the cause of her death while the bereaved family was completing the formalities to bring her body back at home.
The questions like, “Can a hale and hearty person has heart-attack?”, “Did she do drugs?”, “Was her poor dietary habits the cause of her the death?”, and the most fishy one, “Why her husband went again to Dubai the same day to meet his wife?” But the ongoing drama was stopped mid-way when it was revealed she died of drowning and then drama, part-2 started, wherein, the media kept on flashing the onscreen detailed graphics and re- creations of her death sequences. How callous!! How insensitive!! And how much far from the facts!! For all I know, a person choke to death in his own vomit.
Similar type of theatrical/investigative/speculative reporting was done in the case of Aarushi murder, Sheena bora killing and Sunanda Pushkar death. True, one can’t compare these cases with the tragic death of Sreedevi, which the Dubai police had already declared was a case of “an accidental death” but the point being, that the “urge” of the media to fan the public’s voyeuristic instincts by presenting their tasteless theories in such high-profile cases is unacceptable. I had myself been a journalism student, who was taught that the journalist job is to give news and not views. And during my work stint too, never ever had I witnessed such “unethical” reporting. But I guess, in a race to grab more eyeballs, the Indian media has to resort to fictionalize even straight-forward news.
I agree that the public curiosity is piqued when some eminent personality is involved in a case but to feed on the curiosity of a few sadistic people in the garb of “nation wants to know “is not real journalism. It’s better if the Indian media gives plain news and leave the investigative work to the police and detective agencies.
Ultimately it all boils down to one question- who will bell these sensation mongers?
Well said Milan….One man’s tragedy is another man’s treasure OR more TRPs should I say, for news channels…