Breaking News: Truth Under The Shades Of TRP

Press the Fourth Pillar Of Our Democracy

Role of Press is unequivocally accepted by the whole word for the success of a democracy. Being a world’s largest democracy we believed in freedom of press religiously.

Our constitution has given us a range of freedoms to enjoy our entity as a citizen of a democratic nation. Article 19(1)(a) of the constitution gives us freedom of speech and expression which includes freedom of the press as an integral part of it.

In Romesh Thaper Vs. State of Madras and Brij Bhushan Vs. State of Delhi, the same was upheld by the Apex Court. 

The Advanced Evolved Current  Media

In the current scenario with the changing perspectives of freedom and awareness, and the development of new technologies the role of media has also evolved. We witnessed a revolutionary change in patterns and ways which has been acquired by the media recently. Live debates, direct questioning, sting operations and many more. It’s a really good sign for a democracy. However, the disturbing fact is that with the rapid changes in patterns of the media it somewhere has obliterated its core objective. 

The media is considered as the fourth pillar of democracy that keeps the people aware of all the things that is going on. The significance of media lies in the motto of spreading the truth. Accountability of legislation and executives towards the common man is put forth by the media.

The news is considered a reliable source of information. Earlier unblended pure news was aired before the public. In your childhood days, you must have remembered, parents advising you to watch the news regularly to enhance your general knowledge. The news was never considered as a source of entertainment, but it was purely for information, knowledge and awareness.

However, in present circumstances news channels have become the source of spicy entertaining news shows particularly designed for “High TRPs”(Television Rating Point). There are plenty of news channels but still, the real information is missing. There are plenty of live-stories but the truth is shadowed by smoke screens.

Earlier there was a concept of neutral approach by a news anchor. A good news anchor was supposed to be neutral while delivering news. As any news, which is good for one may be bad for some another person. Hence he must deliver the news without adding his/ her own emotions to it. It was the viewer who had to decide whether the news is good or bad. The news delivered by an anchor had to be straight & clean news only.

But nowadays the news creates a kind of force and perception in our mind to think in a way a news channel portrays it. However, creativity in the news delivery process is always welcomed by viewers but the issue is that in this creativity somewhere the basic object of delivering news is lost.

Breaking/ Sensational Cover Stories.

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During lockdown we all were watching the news on a regular basis, we used to check the number of corona cases as we were watching some cricket score. The burning issues of migrant labourers and Maulana Saad/Tabligi Jamaat were a hit cover story in all the news channels. And suddenly all of these burning issues disappeared from the news channel screens. Were those issues solved? Are those issues no more important to us? if no, then why were these issues so important at that particular time. It seems like the media upheld an issue with full force, kept showing it to us till we lost our interest in the subject and suddenly that particular topic is out from the news channels and finally after one-two months we even don’t remember that issue.

The very current issue is Sushant Singh death Mystery and Riya Chakraborty. Certainly, we all want to know the truth behind the tragic death of Sushant Singh Rajput case, but this is not the only matter around which our nation revolves. We also want to know about the other relevant matters which affects us and our nation as a whole.

Further, the extent of media coverage in Sushant Singh case has confused the nation. It started with Nepotism then political connections, money issues and now drug syndicate. In this whole episode, many people came in limelight, media houses got good TRPs. But what could not be received, is our right to impartial news and True Justice for Sushant, from where the whole story started.

Even Bombay High Court had to issue the order, urging Media houses to show restraint in Sushant Singh Rajput Case-

Adding that media should report the case in a manner that does not hamper the investigation, a division bench of Justice A. A. Stayed and S. P. Tavade, passed the order

".... we only urge and expect the said Respondents to exercise restraint in the media reporting pertaining to the investigation of unnatural death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput which would in any manner hamper or prejudice the ongoing investigation which is being carried out by Respondent No.4-CBI after the imprimatur of the Supreme Court vide judgment and order dated 19-08-2020", the Court said.

We saw maulana saad regularly for 24 hours on all the news channels because for all the media houses that were the only top story at that time. We also saw the plights of migrant labourers continuously for about a month. But all of sudden their problems had vanished along with them. What happened to those migrant labourers? What about MSMEs who are struggling with a shortage of labour? Did all labourers get their jobs back? Whether the Maulana Saad was arrested? Just think about these questions and you will realise that we are not even aware of what is truly worth watching and what is not. We just keep watching the Sensational-breaking news for the sake of entertainment. We were never bothered about these problems.

In this whole picture, we the viewers are on the back foot, we remain deprived of our basic right of information. We have laws for right to information. We have laws to maintain freedom of the press. However, we are far away from real useful information.

Whom To Blame

We can realise the problem with the current system of media coverage. But who is responsible? Have you ever thought about the root cause of this drastic change. It’s not just the media but we viewers as well as are collectively responsible for the same. Media houses are working for high TRPs motivated by economic means and we all are ignoring the problem and keep watching news channels for the sake of entertainment. 

If we analyse it's our rush to know things at the earliest and desire for entertaining news that evolved this sensational entertaining news delivery system. We are in haste to know first and then post first on our social media platforms. We must introspect ourself why we need entertainment in everything? Why this hastiness? We have plenty of entertainment channels, for our entertainment part. then why can't we watch the news as a substantial piece of information to maintain its sanctity?

If we stop searching for sensational news, automatically the news channels will be forced to change their patterns.

Let’s come out from this smokescreen of sensational entertaining breaking news, and let’s seek for some truthful unblended news.