POTRAYAL OF VOILENCE ON NEWS CHANNELS

POTRAYAL OF VOILENCE ON NEWS CHANNELS

Electronic media is getting flake for many wrong counts and it is itself to blame for this bad publicity. The so-called ‘Breaking News’ is nothing but fancy idea of the newscaster aiming at increasing the TRP of the channel. “Exclusive on this channel” also means nothing but self-deception.

The electronic media is flooded with News Channels. There are National Channels, Regional Channels and there are language channels. On a rough estimate there are over 300 News Channels in India. There is a mad -mad world outside ready to pounce on you in every trade and business. Media is also a business and it cannot isolate itself from the tough ways of business world. The only difference is that it tries to create a façade around itself in the guise of public good.

There are channels reporting on crimes as if the incident happened before the eyes of the reporter. They ‘reconstruct’ the happenings, which even an eyewitness cannot do. Details of weapons used, modes operandi and motive are explained in such manner that may put the official investigators to utter shame. Let there be a murder, rape or suicide and reporters of all news channels will throng the area making it difficult for the law enforcing agencies to do their job. Live telecast will be shown for the whole day and few more days till something new comes up. Public memories being short, past incidents lose the brightness and thrill within no time.

These incidents are reconstructed and portrayed in such ghastly manner and telecast into the drawing rooms of unsuspecting families. Since nothing excites more that the spicy news, children become the easy victims. There is already hell of a lot of violence on the Internet and now we have this on the telly also. It is difficult to say how much it is responsible for the crimes in the streets as not only electronic media but also even the films are propagating the myth of violence as a justification for social justice.

It is feared that the live telecast of the terrorist attack on Mumbai, India on 26.11.2008 and the police action by the various News Channels gave a better operational advantage to the handlers of the terrorists sitting in Pakistan to guide their foot solders on the ground. The News Channels were telecasting live the movements of the Task Force, the Commandos, bit by bit. No wonder it took almost 36 hours to bring the situation under control and capture one terrorist alive.

All this is done in the name of freedom of speech and expression. Anything against and it is termed as gagging the press and the media. They are free to print and telecast any news without naming the source and they cannot be brought o books for wrong reporting and worst still for defamation. They can do character assassination at will and lose nothing but earn a lot by way of increased TRPs.
It is pathetic to watch a reporter asking a mother of the slain boy “ Mam, how do you feel” or a drawning man “would you like to say something”. I would think there is total lack of trained reporters with an understanding of human feelings.


Time was when news was presented as ‘news’ and not as ‘views’ of the reporters.
Views of the News Paper and its Management were expressed in the Editorial columns. The electronic media has gone many steps further. They not only express the views but also try to put words in the mouth of the people they interview.

Take for example the reporting on the close door meetings of political leaders. The leaders are still in meeting and the reporter outside is explaining the talks going on inside as if he has the script in his hands or as if he physically present inside listening to the talks going on. This is termed as ‘ breaking news’ ‘only on this channel’ ‘exclusive’ and what not.



We all need a free Press and Media for truth to come out and this cannot be denied. Without a free Press and Media we will be ignorant. Present day society owes a lot to the vigilant media but at the same time is the victim of their follies.

The answer therefore is self-regulation and a code of conduct by the press and media, of the press and media and for the press and media.