INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM TO SPECULATION

Daily Post 1429

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM TO SPECULATION

The practitioners of investigative journalism of yesteryears dating back to the emergency days would never believe where their electronic brethren have landed them into. From unearthing meticulously buried secrets to fearless journalism, blank front page journalism to protest against emergency to TRP ridden speculation has been the roller coaster ride of the Indian media. Starting for the innocuous but fact driven and editorially strong print media to smart tv high definition 24 hour celebration of colour has been an immense upscaling of technology. It has been an equally immense downscaling in the quality of journalism, not sure if anything worthwhile is left of it.

Some websites are turning out to be the saviours and some left overs of the newspaper era, men and woman have the capability to glean over the dumped trash to wean out the real information. It’s an act only the most audacious can do. For the rest it has to be a story not of their choice, dished out by a group of journalists jostling for space, hanging outside the gates of their subjects, pouncing on them to be rebuffed and screaming questions when response is not expected to come by. The prevailing thought is that they can troll anybody at will. The other day Bihar Police investigators were being physically trolled in an auto in Mumbai was a scene seen to be believed. Creating a story out of facts created by themselves in the new genre investigative journalism.

From the glued TV pics of Kurukshetra’s Prince borewell ordeal to the Sushant Singh Rajput’s investigation gives us a very clear idea as to where journalism is heading to. The total time spend by hundreds of TV channels with 24 hours for months at length can put even 9/11 investigation to shame. The difference is of conclusive evidence and chargesheet by the investigative agency Vs the TV channel investigation which stands even today, exactly where it started. Any sheet of paper is a breaking news, talking to some weird guy is a sting and following a car is chasing the ultimate truth. Where are you heading to, what do you intend to achieve, what is journalism all about are the questions one needs to look answers for.

COVID-19 has lost the battle of the media space, so has the Prashant Bhusan contempt of court case and numerous other incidents / accidents / stories which the nation needed to know. Some journalists can even be complimented for choosing the wrong language channel. They have the capability to talk endlessly at a volume, pace and shrill completely unwarranted and pleading you to see what is already on the screen. The voice modulation can put best of the public speakers to shame. The best of the subject matter experts would bow down in shame. When there is so much to be celebrated about them yet the irate behaviour of the news anchors and some nagging / aggressive journalists is the icing on the journalism’s cake.

SPECULATE YOUR WAY UP THE TRP.

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